• Abdul Kader M Mahfouz and Ashraf M Ghali.
• Department of Anaesthesia, Alexandria University Egypt.
• Saudi J Anaesth. 2010 Sep 1; 4 (3): 147-51.

BackgroundOne of the drawbacks of performing ophthalmic surgery under local anesthesia is patient movement, which might affect optimal surgical outcome.PurposeThe study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the combined use of propofol and remifentanil as a sedative technique in comparison with the use of propofol alone to limit patient discomfort and movement during local anesthesia for vitreo-retinal surgery lasting for more than two hours.Materials And MethodsA total of 140 patients scheduled for vitreo-retinal surgery under local anesthesia, with an expected surgical time of more than two hours, were included in the study. Patients were divided randomly into two equal groups: group I where patients were given propofol and remifentanil by continuous infusion and group II where patients were given propofol alone by continuous infusion.ResultsThe two groups were comparable with regard to age, weight, gender, ASA physical status and duration of surgery. There was a significant decrease in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) in each group 10 minutes after the start of sedation compared with pre-sedation data and continued all through the procedure. There was an insignificant difference between the two groups with regard to changes in heart rate and MABP all through surgical procedure. There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to the incidence of complications except for an increased incidence of breakthrough pain and discomfort which necessitated the use of fentanyl as a rescue treatment in the propofol group P<0.001. There were no instances of movements with a major effect on the surgical field, which could have affected surgical outcome, in the two groups. The number of patients who did not move was significantly higher, 56 (80%), in group I compared with 38 (54.29%) in group II with P<0.001. The ophthalmologist satisfaction scale was significantly higher in group I (4.5±0.63) compared with group II (3.7±1.04) with P=0.0016.ConclusionThe combined use of propofol and remifentanil as a continuous infusion before performance of the block and during lengthy vitreo-retinal surgery was associated with a lower incidence of patient discomfort, breakthrough pain, and patient movement along with high degree of surgeons' satisfaction and hemodynamic stability.

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