Fentanyl or dexmedetomidine combined with desflurane for bariatric surgery.

Study Objective: Because fentanyl has ventilatory depressing effects, alternative methods for analgesia may be beneficial for management of bariatric surgery. We evaluated whether dexmedetomidine infusion could replace fentanyl for facilitation of open gastric bypass surgery.

Design: Randomized, single blinded, open label.

Non-opioid analgesia improves pain relief and decreases sedation after gastric bypass surgery.

Purpose: Several non-opioid drugs have been shown to provide analgesia during and after surgery. We compared sevoflurane anesthesia with fentanyl analgesia to sevoflurane and non-opioid drug treatment for gastric bypass surgery and recovery.

Methods: Thirty obese patients (body mass index > 50 kg.