Effect of alfentanil plus propofol on painless gastrointestinal endoscopy in elderly patients

Purpose: To determine the effect of alfentanil in combination with propofol in painless gastrointestinal endoscopy (PGE) in elderly patients. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of data from 200 elderly patients who underwent PGE at The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou, China from June 2021 to December 2022. The patients were divided into study (n = 108) and control groups (n = 92). The study group received anesthesia with alfentanil (10 μg/kg) and propofol (1 - 2 mg/kg), while the control group was anesthetized with sufentanil (0.1 μg/kg) combined with propofol (1 - 2 mg/kg). Results: Study group consumed significantly less propofol compared to control group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in baseline values of mean arterial pressure (MAP), blood oxygen saturation (BOS), and heart rate (HR) between the two groups (p > 0.05). However, during the examination, the control group showed significantly lower mean values of MAP, BOS, and HR compared to study group (p < 0.05). Additionally, study group experienced significantly shorter recovery time from anesthesia, time to recovery of consciousness, and time to orientation recovery compared to control group (p < 0.05). The incidence of patients rated with excellent or good anesthetic effects was significantly higher in study group compared to control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Alfentanil in combination with propofol offers stable vital signs and superior anesthetic effect in elderly patients undergoing PGE, with fewer adverse reactions compared to sufentanil and propofol combination. Applicability of these findings requires further validation with more data.