Effect of hypothermic hemodilutional cardiopulmonary bypass on plasma sufentanil and catecholamine concentrations in humans.

The effect of hypothermic hemodilutional cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on plasma sufentanil and catecholamine concentrations was studied in four groups of ten patients each, receiving four different doses of sufentanil. Samples for measurement of sufentanil were obtained before CPB, at 15, 30, and 45 minutes of CPB, during rewarming, immediately after and 15, 60, and 240 minutes after CPB. In addition, in groups III and IV, which received the highest dose of sufentanil, blood samples were also obtained for measurement of plasma levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Sufentanil concentration decreased in all groups with the start of CPB (group I, 2.92 +/- 0.2 to 2.04 +/- 0.2; group II, 3.30 +/- 0.3 to 1.51 +/- 0.2; group III, 7.08 +/- 0.7 to 3.45 +/- 0.3; group IV, 10.33 +/- 0.5 to 4.59 +/- 0.5 ng/ml). No further decreases occurred during CPB but increases occurred with rewarming. The first measurement after CPB approached the concentration before CPB (group I, 2.82 +/- 0.3; group II, 2.56 +/- 0.5; group III, 4.42 +/- 0.4; group IV, 6.10 +/- 0.4 ng/ml). Norepinephrine concentrations demonstrated a wide variability with no significant changes. Epinephrine levels increased significantly during rewarming in both groups (group III, 141 +/- 23 to 279 +/- 79 pg/ml; P less than 0.05; group IV, 105 +/- 24 to 267 +/- 68 pg/ml, P less than 0.05). The stability of plasma sufentanil concentrations during CPB suggest that no measurable metabolism or excretion occurred. The increase with rewarming and after CPB suggest significant sequestration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)