Effects of different dosages of oxycodone and fentanyl on the hemodynamic changes during intubation

OBJECTIVES To investigate the effectiveness of oxycodone compared with fentanyl for attenuating the hemodynamic response during endotracheal intubation. METHODS This study was conducted from June 2014 to February 2015 on healthy adults undergoing general anesthesia at the Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu, Republic of Korea. Ninety-five patients were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups to receive the following drugs; Group F: fentanyl 2 μg/kg; Group O/70: oxycodone 140 μg/kg; Group O/100: oxycodone 200 μg/kg. Five minutes after injection of the study drug, general anesthesia was induced with propofol 1.5 mg/kg and rocuronium 0.8 mg/kg. The mean blood pressure (MBP), heart rate (HR), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), and bispectral index (BIS) were compared before administration of the study drug (T1), just before endotracheal intubation (T2), one minute after endotracheal intubation (T3), and 7.5 minutes after endotracheal intubation (T4). Complications were assessed. RESULTS The 2 oxycodone groups showed no significant differences in MBP, HR, SpO2, and BIS compared to Group F at the time points assessed. The incidence of complications was comparable among the groups.  CONCLUSIONS Oxycodone could successfully be used to attenuate the sympathetic response during anesthetic induction. The hemodynamic profiles and incidence of complications were clinically similar among the groups, but Group O/70 tended to show a lower rate of complications of apnea.