• K Reyntjens, L Foubert, D De Wolf, G Vanlerberghe, and E Mortier.
• Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium. k.reyntjens@ugent.be
• Br J Anaesth. 2005 Nov 1;95(5):680-4.

BackgroundRemifentanil is recommended for use in procedures with painful intraoperative stimuli but minimal postoperative pain. However, bradycardia and hypotension are known side-effects. We evaluated haemodynamic effects of i.v. glycopyrrolate during remifentanil-sevoflurane anaesthesia for cardiac catheterization of children with congenital heart disease.MethodsForty-five children undergoing general anaesthesia with remifentanil and sevoflurane were randomly allocated to receive either saline, glycopyrrolate 6 microg kg(-1) or glycopyrrolate 12 microg kg(-1). After induction of anaesthesia with sevoflurane, i.v. placebo or glycopyrrolate was administered. An infusion of remifentanil at the rate of 0.15 microg kg(-1) min(-1) was started, sevoflurane continued at 0.6 MAC and cisatracurium 0.2 mg kg(-1) was given. Heart rate (HR) and non-invasive arterial pressures were monitored and noted every minute for the first 10 min and then every 2.5 min for subsequent maximum of 45 min.ResultsBaseline HR [mean (SD)] of 117 (20) beats min(-1) decreased significantly from 12.5 min onwards after starting the remifentanil infusion in the control group [106 (18) at 12.5 min and 99 (16) beats min(-1) at 45 min]. In the groups receiving glycopyrrolate, no significant decrease in HR was noticed. Glycopyrrolate at 12 microg kg(-1) induced tachycardia between 5 and 9 min after administration. Systolic and diastolic arterial pressures decreased gradually, but there were no significant differences in the pressures between groups.ConclusionI.V. glycopyrrolate 6 microg kg(-1) prevents bradycardia during general anaesthesia with remifentanil and sevoflurane for cardiac catheterization in children with congenital heart disease. Administering 12 microg kg(-1) of glycopyrrolate temporarily induces tachycardia and offers no additional advantage.

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