Comparison of the effect of continuous intravenous infusion and two bolus injections of remifentanil on haemodynamic responses during anaesthesia induction: a prospective randomised single-centre study

Remifentanil is an effective drug for protecting against adverse haemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation. We compared the haemodynamic responses during anaesthesia induction between continuous intravenous (IV) infusion and two bolus injections of remifentanil. This prospective, randomised, open-label, single-centre study included patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II, scheduled to undergo elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Patients were randomised into two groups based on remifentanil administration type: the continuous IV infusion group (Group C) receiving a 0.3-μg/kg/min remifentanil infusion for 5 min followed by a 0.1-μg/kg/min remifentanil infusion, and the IV bolus group (Group B) receiving a combination of two bolus injections of remifentanil (first bolus of 0.4 μg/kg and second bolus of 0.6 μg/kg after 3 min) and 0.1 μg/kg/min remifentanil. General anaesthesia was induced with 1 mg/kg propofol and 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium 3 min after remifentanil infusion (Group C) or immediately after the first bolus of remifentanil (Group B). Tracheal intubation was performed 4 min after the injection of propofol and rocuronium. Heart rate and non-invasive blood pressure were recorded at 1...Continue Reading