The Pharmacokinetics of Sufentanil in Surgical Patients

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Abstract
The pharmacokinetics of sufentanil, a new thienyl analog of fentanyl, were studied in 10 surgical patients. Sufentanil, 5 .mu.g/kg, was given i.v. as a bolus injection and plasma concentrations measured at intervals up to 8 h. Plasma sufentanil concentrations decreased rapidly after injection, 98% of the administered dose having left the plasma within 30 min. In 9 of the 10 patients, a tri-exponential equation optimally described the sufentanil concentration decay curve, with average (.+-. SEM [standard error of the mean]) half-lives for the rapid (.pi.) and slow (.alpha.) distribution phases of 1.4 .+-. 0.3 min and 17.7 .+-. 2.6 min, respectively. The average terminal elimination (.beta.) half-life was 164 .+-. 22 min. The average value for Vd[volume of distribution].beta. was 2.9 .+-. 0.2 1/kg, Vdss 1.7 .+-. 0.2 1/kg and total plasma clearance 12.7 .+-. 0.8 ml .cntdot. kg-1 .cntdot. min-1 (935 .+-. 50 ml/min). In 1 patient, a biexponential equation was sufficient to describe the concentration time data, yielding a distribution half-life of 4.7 min and an elimination half-life of 117 min.

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