[Buprenorphine. Haemodynamic study (author's transl)]

Haemodynamic effects of intravenous buprenorphine 3 microgram/kg were studied on nine subjects. Subjects were under controlled ventilation, and had a radial cannula and a Swan-Ganz catheter. Heart rate slowed up, from 109 +/- 23 to 96 +/- 18 at the 90th minute (p less than 0.02), and remained slightly depressed at the 4th hour. Mean arterial blood pressure fell from 91 +/- 17 to 82 +/- 18 mm Hg (p less than 0.001): the difference remained statistically significant until the 3th hour. Cardiac index fell from 4.16 +/- 0.67 to 3.55 +/- 0.63 l/mn/m2 at the 60th minute (p less than 0.001). Thus the haemodynamic effects of buprenorphine exist but are light.