Welcome to the website of the World Society of Intravenous Anaesthesia OpenTCI Initiative!
(To log in—click login top right).

Table of Contents

Alfentanil Models

If a good (reasonable) pharmacokinetic model is available for an i.v. drug, it makes sense to administer it by TCI. Alfentanil TCI comes a long way, though different PK models have been used during studies over decades. It would be desirable that commercially available TCI system use the same PK model in order to make sure that based on a given target concentration time profile, the amount of drug adminstered is the same for the different products.

Cardinal Health (Alaris) have used the pharmacokinetic model published by Maitre et al.1) with t_{peak}=1.4 min.2) Fresenius-Kabi have used the pharmacokinetic model published by Scott et al.3)

It seems that the two manufactures got different advice on which model to implement. The two models will result in different doses of Alfentanil for the same target concentration. The discussion whether one model is better than the other is open. Maybe the proponents of the two models can share their opinions with us.

How can I contribute to the Discussion?

If you would like to contribute to the discussion:

  • Click login (top right).
  • Click the discussion tab above for further instructions.
1)
Population pharmacokinetics of alfentanil: the average dose-plasma concentration relationship and interindividual variability in patients.
Maitre PO, Vozeh S, Heykants J, Thomson DA, Stanski DR
Anesthesiology66p3-12(1987 Jan)
2)
Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and rational opioid selection.
Shafer SL, Varvel JR
Anesthesiology74p53-63(1991 Jan)
3)
Decreased fentanyl and alfentanil dose requirements with age. A simultaneous pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluation.
Scott JC, Stanski DR
J Pharmacol Exp Ther240p159-66(1987 Jan)

Personal Tools