Comparison of remifentanil and fentanyl in general anesthesia

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of remifentanil and fentanyl of different doses.Methods: Sixty patients undergoing radical mastectomy or thyroidectomy were randomly divided into 3 groups: group A,group B,and group C.Anesthesia was induced routinely,and it was maintained by continuous intravenous infusion of remifentanil of 0.1 μg/(kg·min)(group A),remifentanil of 0.3 μg/(kg·min)(group B),and fentanil of 0.03 μg/(kg·min)(group C) and by inhalation of isoflurane and nitrous oxide in oxygen(2∶1).Results: The number of patients exhibiting light anesthesia responses in group B during intubation and the maintenance of anesthesia was significantly less than that in group A and C(P0.01).The time to opening eyes on command and the time for extubation after surgery in group A and C was significantly less than than in group B(P0.01).More patients in group A and B required sedatives for postoperative pain relief than those in group C(P0.01).Conclusions: High-dose remifentanil can offer superior intraoperative hemodynamic stability compared with low-dose remifentanil and low-dose fentanyl.