Continuous remifentanil for pediatric neurosurgery patients

Objective: Remifentanil hydrochloride is a new titratable opioid agonist wi th rapid onset and offset of action. We present 2 cases of intracranial mas s lesions in whom remifentanil was used to obtain serial neurological exami nations. Methods: Patients received bolus doses of remifentanil 1 mug/kg fo llowed by continuous infusions of 0.1-0.5 mug/kg/min, titrated to effect. A fter the clinical examination, the remifentanil was restarted to the desire d effect, Conclusion: The ultra-short duration of action of remifentanil ma kes it ideally suited for selected pediatric neurosurgical patients in whom frequent, serial neurological examinations are necessary, There were no si de effects associated with the use of remifentanil, Copyright (R) 2001 S. K arger AG, Basel.