Step 1: Look for the agent prized in shocked or cardiac patients because it does not drop the blood pressure.
Step 2: That agent is etomidate. After an induction dose, heart rate barely changes, blood pressure and cardiac output fall only slightly, and coronary perfusion is well maintained.
Step 3: By contrast, thiopentone and propofol depress the myocardium and cause hypotension, and ketamine, despite its sympathomimetic surface effect, is directly cardiodepressant on the myocardium.
Step 4: The cardiovascularly stable, non-depressant choice is etomidate.
\[\boxed{\text{Etomidate}}\]