POSTOPERATIVE INTRAVENOUS CONTINUOUS ANALGESIA - COMPARISON OF BUPRENORPHINE, FENTANYL AND NALBUPHINE

Continuous intravenous infusions of fentanyl, buprenorphine or nalbuph ine were investigated to provide pain relief for patients after major abdominal surgery. Buprenorphine (n=23) was given as a loading dose of 5 mu g kg(-1) and infused at 0.8 mu g kg(-1) h(-1). Fentanyl (n=20) w as given as a loading dose of 2 mu g kg(-1) and infused at 0.7 mu g kg (-1) h(-1). Nalbuphine (n=21) was given as a loading dose of 200 mu g kg(-1) and infused at 80 mu g kg(-1) h(-1). The infusion rate was incr eased when analgesia was inadequate, and decreased if respiratory depr ession occurred. Mean doses were respectively 0.74 +/- 0.15 mu g kg(-1 ) h(-1) buprenorphine, 0.68 +/- 0.18 mu g kg(-1) h(-1) fentanyl, 83 +/ - 21 mu g kg(-1) h(-1) nalbuphine. Titration of continuous intravenous infusion of buprenorphine and fentanyl provided better analgesia than nalbuphine with smaller doses than those reported in similar studies allowing spontaneous breathing.