Purpose: The current emphasis on more rapid recovery and earlier tracheal extubation after cardiac surgery requires greater precision in administering opioids to reap their benefits while minimizing the duration of postoperative respiratory depression. Therefore, we aimed to define a pharmacokinetic model that accurately predicts fentanyl concentrations before, during, and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Methods: Parameters for two-compartment and three-compartment models were estimated by applying population pharmacokinetic modelling to fentanyl concentration vs time data measured in 29 patients undergoing elective, primary CABG.