title: The pharmacokinetics of sufentanil in surgical patients.
abstract: The pharmacokinetics of sufentanil, a new thienyl analogue of fentanyl, were studied in 10 surgical patients. Sufentanil, 5 micrograms/kg, was given intravenously as a bolus injection and plasma concentrations measured at intervals up to 8 h. Plasma sufentanil concentrations decreased rapidly after injection--98% of the administered dose having left the plasma within 30 min. In 9 of the 10 patients, a tri-exponential equation optimally described the sufentanil concentration decay curve, with average (+/-SEM) half-lives for the rapid (pi) and slow (alpha) distribution phases of 1.4 +/- 0.3 min and 17.7 +/- 2.6 min, respectively. The average terminal elimination (beta) half-life was 164 +/- 22 min. The average value for Vd beta was 2.9 +/- 0.2 1/kg, Vdss 1.7 +/- 0.2 1/kg and total plasma clearance 12.7 +/- 0.8 ml X kg-1 X min-1 (935 +/- 50 ml/min). In one patient, a bi-exponential equation was sufficient to describe the concentration-time data, yielding a distribution half-life of 4.7 min and an elimination half-life of 117 min.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D008875:Middle Aged; D017409:Sufentanil; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics; D017409:Sufentanil; D005283:Fentanyl