Use of midazolam and buprenorphine in combination anaesthesia

In this comparative study in 102 female patients, midazolam or thiopentone was used as the sleep-inducing component in combination anaesthesia. During anaesthesia, three different analgesics: fentanyl, oxycodone and buprenorphine were tested. The sleep-inducing effect of midazolam was clearly slower in onset than that of thiopentone, but in other respects midazolam was a satisfactory inducing agent for general anaesthesia. Patients receiving midazolam and/or buprenorphine needed an additional dose of muscle relaxant less often than those receiving thiopentone and fentanyl or oxycodone. Buprenorphine produced a long postoperative analgesia lasting up to 10 hours, but these patients were also postoperatively drowsier, which gave a lower postanesthetic recovery score.