Epidural sufentanil for intra- and postoperative analgesia in thoracic surgery: a comparative study with intravenous sufentanil.

A comparative study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of epidural sufentanil in providing intra- and postoperative analgesia during thoracic surgery. Sufentanil was chosen on the basis of its high lipid solubility and its potent opiate receptor binding. Epidural sufentanil was compared with intravenous sufentanil as the major intraoperative analgetic agent in an anesthesia regimen with midazolam and nitrous oxide. Epidural sufentanil significantly decreased the need for supplementary intravenous analgesia. In the epidural sufentanil group the immediate postoperative analgesia was found to be better, with a longer duration of action, compared with the intravenous sufentanil group. Postoperatively epidural sufentanil was compared with epidural morphine. Sufentanil provided good analgesia with a very fast onset and a mean duration of almost 7 h. Severe respiratory depression was observed in one patient within 1 h of extubation, probably due to the combined effects of the narcotic administration and residual midazolam. It is concluded that 50 micrograms of sufentanil administered in the thoracic epidural space provides valuable intraoperative analgesia which can easily be extended into the postoperative period, although all necessary precautions for epidural opiate administration should be taken.