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Buprenorphine plasma and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations in osteoarthritis patients during low-dose transdermal
Lasse Härkänen1, Henriikka Hakomäki2, Jukka Huopio3
1School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Methods:
Fifty-six (56) patients scheduled for arthroplasty, received 7-day extended-release buprenorphine transdermal patches (5 µg/h) for five consecutive weeks, starting two weeks prior to the surgery. Simultaneous plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected during spinal anesthesia.
Results:
Median buprenorphine plasma and CSF concentrations at steady-state were 54 pg/mL (range 8.6 - 167 pg/mL) and 1.6 pg/mL (0.30 - 7.3 pg/mL), respectively. The median CSF/plasma -ratio was 3% (range 0.35 - 16%). Large between-subject variability was observed in the measured buprenorphine concentrations within the study population.
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