Alfentanil-supplemented anaesthesia for short procedures. A double-blind comparison with fentanyl

Eighty unpremedicated female patients undergoing short gynaecological procedures were randomly allocated to four groups and received either alfentanil or fentanyl (double-blind), together with Althesin-oxygen or methohexitone-nitrous oxide'-oxygen. Recovery from anaesthesia was assessed using the post-box test and the deletion of p. There was a significantly greater frequency of vomiting after operation (P less than 0.05) with methohexitone compared with Althesin and with fentanyl compared with alfentanil, and a significantly greater frequency of pain on injection (P less than 0.001) with methohexitone compared with Althesin. The alfentanil groups completed the post-box test significantly earlier after operation than the fentanyl groups (P less than 0.05). We conclude that alfentanil may offer a significant advantage over fentanyl as an analgesic supplement to i.v. anaesthesia for short procedures.