title: Remifentanil-propofol sedation as an ambulatory anesthesia for carpal tunnel release.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This prospective study evaluated the use of continuous sedation using propofol and remifentanil when carpal tunnel release (CTR) was performed under local anesthesia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We sedated 60 patients undergoing CTR using local anesthesia with remifentanil at loading and continuous doses of 0.5 µg kg(-1) and 0.05 µg kg(-1)min(-1), respectively, and propofol, using a target controlled infusion (TCI) pump set to a target of 2 µg mL(-1) (group A), or with the same drug doses except that the continuous remifentanil dose was 0.07 µg kg(-1)min(-1) (group B) or 0.1 µg kg(-1)min(-1) (group C).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In group B, the levels of pain when local anesthetics were administered (p = 0.001), intraoperative pain (p < 0.001) and anxiety (p = 0.001) were significantly lower than those of group A. Furthermore, the incidence of adverse events, including desaturation (p < 0.001) and vomiting (p = 0.043), was significantly lower in group B than in group C.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Continuous sedation using an appropriate dose of remifentanil and propofol can be used as safe, efficacious ambulatory anesthesia in cases of CTR under local anesthesia, performed using only 2 mL of local anesthetic, with a high degree of patient satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, School of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sung Mi
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Ji Su
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: So Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Dong-Hwa
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.forename: Yong Jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Cho