[Total intravenous anesthesia with propofol-fentanyl. Is it necessary to supply nitrous oxide?]

Forty patients admitted for elective hemilaminectomy were randomly allocated in two groups: Group I: intravenous anaesthesia with propofol-fentanyl and Group II: Propofol-fentanyl anaesthesia with a supplement of nitrous oxide. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether this supplement involved any advantages or disadvantages for the patients. Mean arterial pressures, awakening times, complications immediately postoperatively and total doses of fentanyl showed no statistically significant differences. In group I (-N2O), the median dose of supplementation with fentanyl was significantly greater, 0.89 micrograms/kg versus 0 in group II (p less than 0.05). We conclude that total intravenous anaesthesia is preferable, because pollution of the air in the operating theatre is avoided.