Patient‐controlled postoperative analgesia with alfentanil

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Abstract
Summary: A double‐blind study comparing aventanil and pethidine given intravenously by an adaptive, patient‐controlled on‐demand analgesic system is described. It was demonstrated that, despite its well‐known rapid onset of effect, alfentanil took several hours to achieve good quality analgesia. Nevertheless, it had a much more predictable consumption pattern than pethidine. Alfentanil was associated with significantly less sedation during the postoperative period than pethidine, and was also associated with a significantly greater urine output during the 24–hour period of study. There was no evidence of tolerance or accumulation with either of the two drugs.