A randomized, double-blind study was carried out on 40 unpremedicated, ASA I-II adult surgical outpatients to assess the effects of aerosolized lidocaine, intravenous lidocaine, both, or neither, on circulatory responses to laryngoscopy and intubation. Lidocaine (4 mg/kg) or saline was given by nebulizer in the holding area beginning at -15 minutes. The patient underwent a standardized induction of anesthesia that included IV curare (3 mg) and O2 by facemask at minute 2, followed by IV thiopental (5 mg/kg) and succinylcholine (1.5 mg/kg) at minute 5. Lidocaine (2 mg/kg) or saline was given by IV push at minute 4. Laryngoscopy was begun at 5 minutes and continued for 45 seconds before intubation. Heart rate and systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressures were automatically recorded at 1-minute intervals from 0 to 11 minutes. The four treatment groups included: group 1, aerosolized and IV saline; group 2, aerosolized saline, IV lidocaine; group 3, aerosolized lidocaine, IV saline; and group 4, aerosolized and IV lidocaine. There were no differences among the four treatment groups (n = ten per group) in any of the four hemodynamic variables before laryngoscopy and intubation. Within each group, after intubation all four hemodynamic variables increased significantly over the corresponding baseline values for that group. However, the maximum values attained after intubation did not differ significantly among the four treatment groups for any of the four hemodynamic variables, whether those maxima were expressed as absolute values or as a percentage of baseline.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)