UI - 000178

AU - Piepenbrock S

AU - Zenz M

AU - Gorus R

AU - Link J

AU - Reinhart K

TI - Buprenorphine and pentazocine for postoperative analgesia. A double blind study following abdominal

surgery. [German]

AB - A randomized double-blind study was done to test the two opiates buprenorphine (0.3 mg i.v.) and

pentazocine (30 mg i.v.) with regard to their applicability for the postoperative phase. These substances

were chosen because they are not subject to drug prescription regulations. 60 patients who had undergone

epigastric and hypogastric interventions under thiopental-sodium-induced halothane anesthesia received i.v.

injections of one of the two analgetics as soon as they requested a pain-killer postoperatively. The subjective

pain intensity registered by means of a visual analogue scale shows a gradual decrease after buprenorphine

with maximal effects 1-3 h post injectionem (7.3 leads to 1.5). The duration of action is 8.2 +/- 0.7 h on the

average (median 8 h; range 4-22 h). The maximal analgetic effect of pentazocine is already attained after 10

min (6.3 leads to 3.2). Thereafter the pain-intensity curve rises again. Pentazocine has a mean duration of

action of 2.35 +/- 0.24 h (median 2 h; range 0.5-5 h). The inadequate analgetic effect of pentazocine

manifests itself in an only slight initial reduction of the respiratory rate (19.5 leads to 17.5 min-1), which, on

the other hand, decreases significantly and continuously under buprenorphine (20.8 leads to 13.5 min-1).

Both substances cause increases of PaCO2 (buprenorphine 37.3 leads to 46.8 mmHg; pentazocine 36.3 leads

to 43.0 mmHg), values greater than 50 mmHg being attained in individual cases.(ABSTRACT

TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

SO - Anaesthesist 1983;32:601-609