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Remifentanil versus fentanyl for short-term analgesia-based sedation in mechanically ventilated postoperative

Seda Banu Akinci1, Meral Kanbak, Aygun Guler

  • 1Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. sedabanu@hacettepe.edu.tr

Paediatric Anaesthesia
|September 24, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Remifentanil and fentanyl infusions offer comparable postoperative analgesia in pediatric ICU patients. Both are suitable for short-term sedation, with similar outcomes regarding pain, sedation, and adverse events.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Intensive Care
  • Anesthesiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Analgesia-based sedation is increasingly used in intensive care units (ICUs).
  • Comparing remifentanil and fentanyl for postoperative pain management in pediatric ICU patients is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the efficacy and safety of remifentanil versus fentanyl infusions for postoperative analgesia in pediatric ICU patients.
  • To evaluate their suitability for short-term analgesia-based sedation.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective, randomized, double-blind study involving 22 postoperative orthopedic surgery patients.
  • Patients received either remifentanil or fentanyl infusions, titrated to achieve a Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) score of 3.
  • Propofol was administered if sedation remained inadequate.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences were observed in demographics, extubation times, or pain scores between the remifentanil and fentanyl groups.
  • Sedation scores and heart rates were higher in the remifentanil group post-infusion cessation.
  • Incidences of nausea, vomiting, apnea, desaturation, reintubation, and constipation were similar in both groups.

Conclusions:

  • Remifentanil infusion provides clinically comparable analgesia to fentanyl infusion in mechanically ventilated pediatric postoperative patients.
  • Both remifentanil and fentanyl are suitable for short-term analgesia-based sedation in this patient population.
Abstract

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