Effect of Low Dose Remifentanil on Postoperative Pain Relief and Heart Rate Variability in Post-Anaesthesia Care Unit.

Objective: Several reports have shown the negligible adverse effects of low-dose remifentanil on the autonomic nervous system. We propose that the administration of low-dose remifentanil would be beneficial without adverse respiratory and hemodynamic effects. This study aimed to examine the effects of low-dose remifentanil on postoperative pain relief and heart rate variability (HRV) after surgery.

Methods: In total, 20 patients, who underwent breast cancer surgery, were analysed for HRV in the post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU). A sedative dose of remifentanil was continuously infused if patients experienced pain while in PACU. The remifentanil infusion dose was determined by achieving analgesia with no adverse effects on hemodynamics and/or respiration. Variables of low-frequency power, high-frequency power and low-frequency power/high-frequency power ratio were measured before and after the administration of remifentanil. Pain score was expressed as the numeric rating scale (NRS) from 0 to 10.

Results: The mean dosage of remifentanil administered as a continuous infusion was 0.029±0.0042 μg kg min. After remifentanil administration, the value of the NRS decreased from 4.2±2.9 to 2.7±2.6. In addition, the value of high-frequency power increased from 35.6±14.3 to 49.4±3.0.

Conclusion: The continuous infusion of low-dose remifentanil may reduce post-operative pain scores and trigger the relative activation of the parasympathetic nervous system in post-surgical patients. This indicates that continuous infusion of low-dose remifentanil may be a useful option for postoperative pain relief in cases where postoperative pain control proves inadequate even with the application of regional block technique.