Effects of Remifentanil and Fentanyl on Postoperative Pain and Recovery in Fast-Tract Cardiac Surgery

SUMMARY Objective: The effectiveness of remifentanil infusion and fentanyl bolus provided by patient-controlled analgesia on postoperative pain and recovery of patients undergoing pre-planned fast-track cardiac surgery was studied. Material and Methods: Anaesthesic combination of sevofloran and remifentanil were applied to 42, ASA II group patients undergoing fast-track coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Patients were divided into two groups. In Group 1 (remifentanil group), 0.1 µg kg -1 min -1 remifentanil infusion was given postoperatively by patient-controlled analgesia device. In Group 2, fentanyl was administered at 10 µg kg -1 loading dose 5 minutes before the end of surgery. After fentanyl administration, fentanyl bolus protocol was started to be applied at 0.1 µg kg -1 bolus dose with 8 minutes lockout time. Pain scores, sedation levels and additional analgesic requirements were recorded for the first 4 hours at every 15 minutes and then at 12., and 24. hours postoperatively. Results: There was no difference between groups as for analgesic effectiveness. The sedation levels were lower postoperatively during the first two hours in Group 1. After two hours, sedation levels were similar between the two groups. Conclusion: Remifentanil can be used at analgesic doses during the recovery period of patients undergoing fast-track cardiac surgery.