Bispectral Index Guided Propofol and Remifentanil Anaesthesia: Evaluation of Drug Consumption and Immediate Recovery in a Ghanaian Population

General anaesthesia is a balance between the amount of anaesthetic drug(s) administered and the state of arousal of the patient. Different patients may need variable doses of anaesthetics to reach and maintain a surgical level of anaesthesia. Even though lack of autonomic response suggests sufficient analgesia during surgery, there is no such clear clinical sign for the assessment of the depth and sedation of anaesthesia especially in a paralysed patient. Bispectra index (BIS) monitors the depth of anaesthesia and helps the anaesthetist to deliver the minimal dose of anaesthetic agent required to achieve an adequate hypnotic state. In this study conducted at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, patients undergoing general anaesthesia received intravenous propofol and remifentanil under BIS monitor as the sole anaeshetic. At the end of the surgery the total amount of propofol and remifentanil consumed and the time it took for the patients to open the eye and respond to verbal commands were noted. Propofol consumption was calculated to beat an averagerate of 5.44mg/kg/h and remifentanil at 13.68ug/kg/h to maintain a surgical level of anaesthesia. The mean time from stopping the anaesthetic agents until the patients opened the eyes and responded to verbal commands were 2.20 minutes and 2.70 minutes respectively. The study found that Propofol and remifentanil infusions at a rate of 5.44mg/kg/h and 13.68ug/kg/h respectively, under BIS monitor, effectively controls intraoperative responses and allow for rapid emergence from anaesthesia in a Ghanaian population.