title: Supplementing desflurane-remifentanil anesthesia with small-dose ketamine reduces perioperative opioid analgesic requirements.
abstract: Relative large-dose intraoperative remifentanil could lead to the need for more postoperative analgesics. Intraoperative N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, such as ketamine, decrease postoperative opioid use. We therefore tested the hypothesis that intraoperative small-dose ketamine improves postoperative analgesia after major abdominal surgery with remifentanil-based anesthesia. Fifty patients undergoing abdominal surgery under remifentanil-based anesthesia were randomly assigned to intraoperative ketamine or saline (control) supplementation. The initial ketamine dose of 0.15 mg/kg was followed by 2 microg. kg(-1). min(-1). In both groups, desflurane was kept constant at 0.5 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration without N(2)O, and a remifentanil infusion was titrated to autonomic responses. All patients were given 0.15 mg/kg of morphine 30 min before the end of surgery. Pain scores and morphine consumption were recorded for 24 postoperative h. Less of the remifentanil was required in the Ketamine than in the Control group (P < 0.01). Pain scores were significantly larger in the Control group during the first 15 postoperative min but were subsequently similar in the two groups. The Ketamine patients required postoperative morphine later (P < 0.01) and received less morphine during the first 24 postoperative h: 46 mg (interquartile range, 34-58 mg) versus 69 mg (interquartile range, 41-87 mg, P < 0.01). No psychotomimetic symptoms were noted in either group. In conclusion, supplementing remifentanil-based anesthesia with small-dose ketamine decreases intraoperative remifentanil use and postoperative morphine consumption without increasing the incidence of side effects. Thus, intraoperative small-dose ketamine may be a useful adjuvant to intraoperative remifentanil.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supplementing remifentanil-based anesthesia with small-dose ketamine decreased intraoperative remifentanil use and postoperative morphine consumption. These data demonstrate that N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists, such as ketamine, can be a useful adjuvant to intraoperative remifentanil.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Hôpital Ambroise Pare, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, 9 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Boulogne-Billancourt 92100, France.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guignard
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Coste
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Costes
authors.forename: Daniel I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Sessler
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lebrault
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simonnet
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chauvin
mesh_terms: D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia; D000368:Aged; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000778:Anesthetics, Dissociative; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D000077335:Desflurane; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D007649:Ketamine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010880:Piperidines; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000453:epidemiology; D000077208:Remifentanil
chemical_list: D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000778:Anesthetics, Dissociative; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D010880:Piperidines; D007649:Ketamine; D000077335:Desflurane; D007530:Isoflurane; D000077208:Remifentanil