Effect of remifentanil in clinical anesthesia and postoperative analgesia

Purpose: To investigate the effect of remifentanil in clinical anesthesia and postoperative intravenous analgesia. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 100 patients who received remifentanil for anesthesia and postoperative intravenous analgesia at Zibo Center Hospital, Zibo, China from February 2020 to February 2023. The patients were divided into study and control groups comprising 50 patients in each group. The study group received remifentanil intravenously (8 g/kg) while the control group received fentanyl (3 - 4 μg/kg). Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and Bispectral Index (BIS) were monitored 5 min before anesthesia (T1), 10 min after (T2), 40 min after (T3), and 5 min before the end of surgery (T4). The levels of blood glucose (Glu), angiotensin II (Ang II), and cortisol (Cor) were measured at T1, T2, T3, and T4. Analgesic and sedative effects were evaluated 3, 12 and 24 h after surgery using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Ramsay sedation score. Results: At T1, T2, T3, and T4, there were no significant differences in HR, MAP, and BIS between the two groups (p > 0.05), while the levels of Glu, Ang II, and Cor in study group were significantly lower (p < 0.05). At 3, 12 and 24 h after surgery, VAS score in the study group was significantly lower, while Ramsay's analgesia score was significantly higher (p < 0.05). Total effectiveness was significantly higher in the study group (p < 0.05). Recovery time for orientation, spontaneous breathing, awakening, stay in the recovery room, and incidence of adverse reactions were significantly lower in study group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The use of remifentanil for postoperative intravenous analgesia significantly lowers stress response, sedation and improves recovery time. It is, therefore, effective, and produces lower adverse effects than fentanyl. Large-scale investigation to determine the impact of confounding factors on the outcome of fentanyl/remifentanil combination is required.