Pharmacokinetics of alfentanil after epidural administration. Investigation of systemic absorption kinetics with a stable isotope method.

BACKGROUND: The effects of epidurally administered alfentanil may be due in part to its uptake into the systemic circulation. Therefore we examined the systemic absorption kinetics after epidural injection of alfentanil. METHODS: Pharmacokinetics were determined using a stable isotope method in ten patients, undergoing lower abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. After epidural injection of 0.68 mg deuterium-labeled alfentanil (alfentanil-d5), 1 mg unlabeled alfentanil was administered over 1 h by an intravenous infusion. Blood samples were collected for 12 h. Concentrations of alfentanil and alfentanil-d5 were measured by a combination of gas chromatography and mass fragmentography. The systemic absorption profiles of alfentanil-d5 were determined by deconvolution of the plasma alfentanil-d5 concentrations with the biexponential unit disposition functions, derived from the intravenous data. In addition, data were analyzed by moment analysis. RESULTS: The mean (+/- SD) steady-state volume of distribution, total plasma clearance, elimination half-life and mean residence time, derived from the unlabeled alfentanil concentration-time data, were 43.2 +/- 19.5 1,418 +/- 129 ml/min, 119 +/- 34 min, and 103 +/- 26 min, respectively. The absorption of alfentanil-d5 was monophasic in most patients. The mean systemic availability and mean absorption time derived from the deconvolution data were 100 +/- 17% and 114 +/- 24 min. The values determined by moment analysis were 107 +/- 18% and 112 +/- 36 min, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: After epidural administration alfentanil is slowly absorbed into the general circulation. Resulting plasma concentrations are very low and do not contribute appreciably to the systemic opioid effect.

The effect of age on the systemic absorption, disposition and pharmacodynamics of bupivacaine after epidural administration.

The influence of age on the systemic absorption and disposition of bupivacaine following epidural administration in 20 male patients (22 to 81 years) was examined using a stable isotope method to determine whether pharmacokinetics play a role in age-related pharmacodynamic changes seen with the drug. After epidural bupivacaine administration a deuterium-labelled analogue was administered intravenously. Bi- and triexponential functions were fitted to plasma concentration-time data of deuterium-labelled bupivacaine. The systemic absorption was described by 2 parallel first-order absorption processes. The upper level of analgesia and the duration of analgesia at dermatome T-12 increased with age (r = 0.68, p less than 0.001; r = 0.56, p less than 0.01, respectively). The time to maximal caudad spread of analgesia and the time to onset of motor block decreased with age (r = -0.76, p less than 0.0001; r = -0.72, p less than 0.001, respectively). Age did not influence systemic absorption or disposition of bupivacaine. We conclude that the changes in the clinical profile of bupivacaine with age are not due to altered pharmacokinetics, but may be related to changes in the pharmacodynamics of the drug.