The Maternal and Neonatal Effect of Remifentanil in General Anesthesia for Cesarean Section

Lee, Eui Min; Kim, Dong Yeon; Chung, Rack Kyung; Lee, Guie Yong

Clinical Research

Obstetric Anesthesia

Anesthesia and Pain Medicine 2006;1(1):48-52.
Published online July 30, 2006.

The Maternal and Neonatal Effect of Remifentanil in General Anesthesia for Cesarean Section

Eui Min Lee, Dong Yeon Kim, Rack Kyung Chung, Guie Yong Lee

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. kdyeon@ewha.ac.kr

Abstract

BACKGROUND
In case of general anesthesia for cesarean section, giving remifentanil has been described, but its maternal and neonatal effects and safety have not been investigated by a controlled study. METHODS: 20 healthy women undergoing elective cesarean section under general anesthesia at term were allocated randomly to receive remifentanil as effect site concentration of 3.0 ng/ml (R group, n = 10) and same amount of normal saline (C group, n = 10) just before endotracheal intubation. Each group was assessed for bispectral index (BIS), blood pressure, and heart rate at preinduction, arrival to target concentration, intubation, and 1 and 3 minutes after intubation and delivery. Neonatal effect was assessed by Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes. RESULTS: The BIS of remifentanil group was lower than that of control group at 1 min after intubation (P < 0.05). The systolic blood pressure of remifentanil group were lower than those of control group at immediately after intubation (P < 0.05) and 1 min after intubation (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in heart rate between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We found that infusing remifentanil just before tracheal intubation was effective and safe to both mother and neonate.

Key Words: cesarean section, general anesthesia, remifentanil