What is the role of using atropine before surgery?

Generally, the use of atropine before surgery serves to inhibit respiratory tract glandular secretion, affect tissue perfusion, provide analgesia, produce sedation and hypnosis, and block rhythmic bladder impulses. Specific details are as follows:

1. Inhibition of respiratory glandular secretion

Inhibiting mucosal glandular secretions in the respiratory tract—such as saliva and respiratory mucus—helps prevent aspiration during anesthesia and improves visual clarity during intubation.

2. Effect on tissue perfusion

Some patients may experience decreased heart rate and blood pressure after anesthesia. Especially in elderly patients with poor cardiac function or underlying heart disease, a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure following anesthesia can impair tissue perfusion, affecting critical organs such as the brain and kidneys. Atropine counteracts this effect by increasing heart rate and elevating blood pressure, thereby ensuring adequate blood perfusion during anesthesia and safeguarding vital organ function.

3. Analgesia

Preadministration of atropine before surgery can alleviate patient pain, promote intraoperative stability, encourage full patient cooperation, and enhance the effectiveness of intravenous anesthesia.

4. Sedation and hypnosis

Atropine helps reduce patient anxiety, tension, and fear, enabling them to undergo anesthesia in a stable mental state and cooperate effectively with medical staff to achieve optimal anesthetic outcomes.

5. Blockade of rhythmic bladder impulses

Atropine blocks rhythmic bladder contractions, thereby helping to relieve urinary incontinence and facilitating smooth surgical procedures.

In addition, preoperative use of atropine also helps relieve ureteral smooth muscle spasm, exerts anticholinergic effects, and increases heart rate. Preoperative administration of atropine is primarily intended to prevent adverse symptoms during surgery, but it must be used under the guidance of a physician.