Comparison of propofol and fentanyl anaesthesia in coronary artery versus valve surgery.

Total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol and fentanyl was used in 23 patients undergoing coronary artery and 16 patients undergoing valve surgery and the haemodynamic effects in the two groups were compared. Baseline values showed that the valve surgery group had a higher mean heart rate, pulmonary artery wedge pressure and pulmonary artery pressure and smaller mean stroke volume than the coronary artery surgery group. In both groups, heart rate, arterial pressure, pulmonary artery wedge pressure, pulmonary artery pressure and cardiac index decreased during surgery. In the valve surgery group there were greater percentage decreases in heart rate, mean arterial pressure and diastolic arterial pressure. Overall, propofol and moderate-dose fentanyl anaesthesia was no more detrimental to the haemodynamics in patients undergoing valve surgery when compared to those undergoing coronary artery surgery.