S. Schraag
2000
Citations
0
Influential Citations
0
Citations
Journal
Journal name not available for this finding
Abstract
Remifentanil, one of the latest developments among the fentanyl congeners, is a novel, short-acting μ-receptor opioid agonist, which has been introduced into clinical anaesthetic practice in most European countries and the United States within the last three years. It is the hydrochloride salt of 3-[4-methoxycarbonyl-4-[(1-oxopropyl) phenylamino]-l-piperidine] propanoic acid methyl ester. Incorporation of the methyl ester into the N-acyl moiety is the structural basis of the vulnerability of remifentanil to metabolism. The unique metabolism, based on organ independent ester hydrolysis in blood and tissue, results in a favourable pharmacokinetic profile with a rapid offset of drug effect, and thus the need for a continuous infusion to administer the drug. This essential feature is expressed as a context-sensitive half-time of about 3–4 min, regardless the duration of infusion1.