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Alfentanil

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Alfentanil is a synthetic opioid analgesic with a high potency and short duration of action. Like fentanil, it is useful for:

  • short operative analgesia, e.g. outpatient and day surgery
  • enhancement of general anaesthesia
  • suppression of spontaneous respiration in patients on assisted ventilation
  • cardiovascular surgery; it disrupts this system relatively little

The key side effect is that of severe respiratory depression.

Alfentanil - Seek specialist palliative care advice (1)

  • 1mg SC alfentanil = 10mg SC diamorphine = 30mg oral morphine = 15mg SC morphine

  • suitable parenteral opioid for use in advanced renal disease under specialist guidance. Alfentanil has a short duration of action which limits its use for breakthrough analgesia
  • note very different dose conversions than Fentanyl

  • alfentanil and Fentanyl are different drugs

Reference:

  • 1) West Midlands Palliative Care Physicians (2012). Palliative care - guidelines for the use of drugs in symptoms control.

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