[Comparative study of sufentanil and fentanyl in urologic surgery in adults]

Sufentanil is compared with fentanyl as a supplement to N2O isoflurane anaesthesia in a double blind study of 30 elderly patients undergoing major urological surgery. Comparison is made with respect to 1) haemodynamic (heart rate, blood pressure) responses during surgery and recovery; 2) time to extubation after the end of surgery; 3) Postoperative analgesia. No difference is observed between the two groups with respect to demographic data, duration of surgery, and total doses of muscle relaxants. Total doses of opioids used are 195 micrograms of sufentanil and 1,215 micrograms of fentanyl. Arterial pressure and heart rate are different during intubation and major events of surgery. Times between end of surgery and extubation are different: 77 +/- 13 min the sufentanil group versus 57 +/- 22 min the fentanyl group (p < 0.05). Use of analgesia is significantly delayed in the sufentanil group. It is suggested that sufentanil, in elderly patients, provides a better haemodynamic stability and a greater residual analgesia than fentanyl in the immediate postoperative period.