CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF ALFENTANIL ANAESTHESIA

In 30 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, anaesthesia was inducedwith alfentaml 125 µg kg^–1 and maintained with aninfusion of alfentanil 0.5 mg kg^–1 h^–1 until thestart of cardiopulmonary bypass, and alfentanil 0 25mg kg^–1h^–1thereafter until the end of surgery. Pancuronium was given andthe lungs ventilated with air in oxygen. In the majority ofpatients, there were no tignifiranr changes in cardiovascularmeasurements throughout the study, although two received sodiumnitroprusside for the control of hypertension, and in one patienthypertension was so severe that the method of anaesthesia wasabandoned. Transient hypotension occurred on induction in onepatient. Twenty-six patients required alfentanil supplementationbefore bypass. These results indicate that anaesthesia withan alfentanil infusion provides satisfactory cardiovascularstability for cardiac surgery.