The combined effect of ketamine and remifentanil infusions as total intravenous anesthesia for scoliosis surgery in children.

Background: This study was designed to assess the effect of combination of ketamine and remifentanil infusions as total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) during scoliosis surgery in children.

Methods: Thirty two children, 8-14 yr of age, scheduled for posterior spinal fusion, were randomly allocated into two equal groups to receive either remifentanil infusion in a dose of 0.2 microg/kg/minutes or same dose of remifentanil infusion combined with ketamine infusion in a dose of 1 microg/kg/minutes after induction of general anesthesia.