Target-controlled remifentanil in combination with propofol for spontaneously breathing day-case patients

✍ Scribed by J. A. C. Murdoch; R. A. Hyde; G. N. C. Kenny

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 92 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2409
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2044.1999.00951.x

✦ Synopsis

Remifentanil is a new potent opioid with a very short duration of action irrespective of duration of infusion. It may have a role in day‐case anaesthesia as part of a balanced total intravenous anaesthetic technique with propofol. We examined the respiratory depressant effects of remifentanil in 20 patients undergoing day‐case anaesthesia. The target plasma concentration of remifentanil was varied while maintaining a constant target‐controlled infusion of 4.5 μg.ml^−1^ propofol. In only 12 patients was satisfactory spontaneous respiration maintained. In these patients the median remifentanil target concentration was 1.6 ng.ml^−1^ and was achieved with a median infusion rate of 0.05 μg.kg^−1^.min^−1^. The range of target concentrations associated with satisfactory spontaneous respiration was wide and varied over a 4.7‐fold range from 0.6 to 2.8 ng.ml^−1^.