Etomidate and fentanyl for maintenance of anaesthesia

An infusion of etomidate and fentanyl was compared with halothane or morphine plus nitrous oxide in oxygen for the maintenance of anaesthesia in 200 patients. Cardiovascular and respiratory changes were found to be similar in the two groups. There was a prolongation of recovery time in the etomidate-fentanyl group: this was possibly a result of lack of flexibility in the infusion technique.