[The clinical usefulness of Tramadol-infusion anaesthesia (author's transl)]

Tramadol-HCl was used clinically in the form of a continuous infusion as the analgesic component of a balanced anaesthetic technique. In over 90% of the anaesthetics a further injection of barbiturate and/or supplementary muscle relaxant was necessary because the patients did not tolerate the operative procedure. Although a higher dosage of Tramadol reduces significantly the supplementary barbiturate dosage per kilogram bodyweight per minute which is required, it has no effect on the incidence of reflex movements, nor does it prevent the marked intraoperative rise of diastolic blood pressure. The balanced anaesthetic with Tramadol-HCl is characterized by prompt awakening, total amnesia, good post-operative analgesia and minimal side effects (occasional nausea). In particular, there was no case in which there was noticeable respiratory depression. As insufficient analgesia and hypnosis is provided by Tramadol-HCl, making the administration of muscle relaxants and barbiturates obligatory, there is no significant advance in our technique of using Tramadol-HCl, despite the advantages which have been outlined.