title: Influence of gestational age on pharmacokinetics of alfentanil in neonates.
abstract: Alfentanil's small volume of distribution and short elimination half-life, coupled with its preservation of hemodynamic stability, make it a potentially useful drug for analgesia and anesthesia in neonates. The pharmacokinetics of alfentanil were studied in 5 infants born at 26-35 weeks' gestation and in 5 infants of greater than 36 weeks. All infants were studied in the first 3 days of life. After injection of 25 micrograms/kg alfentanil, there was no significant change in blood pressure or heart rate. No significant difference was observed in volume of distribution (0.84 +/- 0.48 l/kg vs. 0.82 +/- 0.30 l/kg), clearance (1.35 +/- 0.69 ml.kg-1.min-1 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.47 ml.kg-1.min-1), or effective half-life (455 +/- 111 min vs. 328 +/- 48 min) between the two groups. The pharmacokinetic values reported here for both preterm and full-term infants are significantly different from data reported for older children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pa.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Killian
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Stiller
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cicco
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Guthrie
mesh_terms: D015760:Alfentanil / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D005865:Gestational Age; D006207:Half-Life; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000378:metabolism; D007275:Injections, Intravenous
chemical_list: D015760:Alfentanil