The purpose of the study was to compare the clinical activity of remifentanil or alfentanil under propofol sedation with regard to respiratory rate, sedation and recovery rate when used for outpatient endometrial biopsy. Patients were randomized to receive intravenously either bolus remifentanil 0.4 microgram/kg and propofol 1 mg/kg in the remifentanil group (n = 30), or bolus alfentanil 20 mic...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to compare intubating conditions and adverse events after sevoflurane induction in infants, with or without the use of rocuronium or alfentanil. METHODS Seventy-five infants, aged 1-24 months, undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia were randomly assigned to receive 8% sevoflurane with either placebo (i.v. saline 0.5 ml kg⁻¹), rocuronium (0.3...

BACKGROUND Pain from a propofol injection is a common side-effect in paediatric patients. This prospective, randomized, double-blind study evaluated the efficacy of a combined pretreatment of alfentanil with lidocaine on the incidence and severity of propofol injection pain in children. METHODS After obtaining parental consent, 120 paediatric patients were allocated randomly into one of the t...

OBJECTIVES The objectives were to compare the efficacy, occurrence of adverse events, and recovery duration of propofol with and without alfentanil for use in procedural sedation in the emergency department (ED). METHODS This was a randomized nonblinded prospective trial of adult patients undergoing procedural sedation for painful procedures in the ED. Patients with pain before the procedure ...

BACKGROUND Widespread use of patient-controlled sedation (PCS) demands simplicity and a predictable outcome. We evaluated patients' safety and ease of use of PCS for gynaecological outpatient procedures. METHODS In a prospective double-blind study, 165 patients were randomized to use propofol or propofol with alfentanil as PCS combined with local anaesthetic for pain control. Data on cardiopu...

BACKGROUND Pain is common during colonic insufflation required for CT colonography. We therefore evaluate whether a single intravenous alfentanil bolus has a clinically relevant analgesic effect compared with placebo in patients undergoing CT colonography. METHODS A prospective multi-centre randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial was performed in patients scheduled for elective CT co...

We have studied the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of alfentanil, fentanyl and sufentanil together with propofol in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Sixty patients (age 40-73 yr, 56 male) were assigned randomly to receive alfentanil, fentanyl or sufentanil and propofol. Plasma concentrations of these drugs and times for the plasma concentration to decrease...

BACKGROUND Opioids, such as alfentanil, are used to facilitate endotracheal intubation without the use of neuromuscular blocking agents in patients undergoing elective surgery. OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to evaluate the endotracheal intubation conditions when remifentanil or alfentanil was used with propofol without the application of neuromuscular blocking agents. PATIENTS AND M...

We have studied the effect of propofol on the enzymatic degradation of alfentanil and sufentanil utilizing isolated liver microsomes obtained from pig and human liver. Propofol inhibited dose-dependently the oxidative metabolic degradation of alfentanil and sufentanil by both microsomal preparations. The calculated concentration of propofol causing 50% inhibition of metabolic degradation (IC50)...

The aim of this study was to compare the cardiovascular and respiratory effects and the bispectral scale index (BIS) as well as the recovery period characteristics in response to treatment with a propofol/alfentanil admixture of different concentrations in dogs undergoing splenectomy. We conducted a prospective, randomised, blinded experimental trial. Anaesthesia was induced and maintained by c...