Comparison of diazepam and flunitrazepam as adjuncts to general anaesthesia in preventing arousal following surgical stimuli.

A comparison has been made between the effects of the administration of flunitrazepam 1 mg i.v. and diazepam 10 mg i.v. in 90 female patients undergoing abdominal surgery. The drugs were given immediately before the skin incision as a booster to the induction agent thiopentone. The response to the incision, the quality of anaesthesia and the need for supplementary medication during maintenance were monitored. A standard post-anaesthesia interview was performed to evaluate the amnesic action and patient acceptability. The skin incision caused only slight increase in arterial pressure and heart rate in both groups. Only six patients of the diazepam group reacted to the incision with defensive movements. The overall quality of anaesthesia was better (P less than 0.05) and the need for supplementary doses of pethidine lower (P less than 0.01) in the flunitrazepam group. Recovery was equally good and the duration of sleep after operation was the same in both groups. The frequency of nausea after operation was low. The post-anaesthesia interview revealed that flunitrazepam possesses a more specific anterograde amnesic action than diazepam. Acceptability of the anaesthesia to the patient was equally good in both groups.