Abstract
Purpose
Remifentanil has been available in Japan for 3 years. The use of this new opioid is considered a useful adjuvant to general anesthesia. Knowing the exact cost-effectiveness of remifentanil should lead to improved anesthetic outcomes with a reasonable cost.
Methods
This single-blinded, prospective, randomized study compared the cost of remifentanil-based general anesthesia combined with isoflurane, sevoflurane, or propofol with fentanyl-based conventional techniques in 210 women who underwent breast surgeries.
Results
Remifentanil-based general anesthesia was no more expensive than fentanyl-based conventional anesthesia. Postoperative nausea and vomiting was significantly less frequent after remifentanil-based than fentanyl-based anesthesia.
Conclusion
This study shows that remifentanil-based general anesthesia is no more expensive than conventional fentanyl-based anesthesia under the Japanese health care system because of the small difference in price between remifentanil and fentanyl.
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Nakada, T., Ikeda, D., Yokota, M. et al. Analysis of the cost-effectiveness of remifentanil-based general anesthesia: a survey of clinical economics under the Japanese health care system. J Anesth 24, 832–837 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-010-1006-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-010-1006-2