The effect of thiopental on cerebral blood flow, and its relation to plasma concentration, during simulated induction of anaesthesia in a porcine model.

The reversible effect of an induction dose of thiopental on the cerebral blood flow (CBF) was characterized by repeated 133Xe washout measurements during stable physiological conditions in anaesthetized pigs. A thiopental effect corresponding to induction of light and transient anaesthesia was confirmed by electroencephalography (EEG). The concentration (arterial plasma) -effect (-% CBF) relationship of thiopental was estimated using a sigmoidal Emax model. The injection caused a rapid 36 +/- 4.5% (mean +/- s.d.) drop in CBF, with return to baseline by 80 min. According to the pharmacodynamic model, the maximal effect of thiopental (Emax) in this experimental set-up was a 58% lowering of the CBF and the concentration at half-maximal effect (EC50) was 25 micrograms.ml-1. This study provides a complete characterization of the effect of thiopental on the CBF, including the time-course and concentration-effect relationship. A comparison to limited data in the literature suggests that the findings in the pigs constitute a fair approximation of the action of thiopental during the clinical induction of anaesthesia.