title: A study of anesthetic drug utilization in different age groups.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine anesthetic drug utilization in different age groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, automated, intraoperative database study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  30,842 noncardiac general anesthesia case records between January 1991 and July 1997 were studied. We investigated the effect of age on anesthetic requirements for fentanyl (F), midazolam (M), thiopental sodium (T), propofol (P), isoflurane (I), and nitrous oxide (N). Because drugs are not given in isolation we looked at the most common drug combinations, IFNTM, IFNPM, INFT, and PFNM. Regression analyses on log-transformed drug dosages were used to test the significance of age on individual requirements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In each of the above anesthetic drug combinations, reduced doses of fentanyl, propofol, midazolam, thiopental, and isoflurane were used with increasing age. Fentanyl, propofol, thiopental, and isoflurane showed a 10%, 8%, 6%, and 4% reduction in dose per decade of age, respectively, from age of maximum dose to age 80 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In clinical practice, increasing age results in decreased anesthetic drug administration. The mechanism of this observation needs to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. marti091@mc.duke.edu
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Peter S A
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: Dara S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Breslin
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: MacLeod
authors.forename: Ian C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Sanderson
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lubarsky
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Reves
authors.forename: Tong J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Gan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004350:Drug Residues / Q000378:metabolism; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D004338:Drug Combinations