Remifentanil tolerance and hyperalgesia: short-term gain, long-term pain?

The unique pharmacology of remifentanil makes it a popular intra-operative analgesic. Short-acting opioids like remifentanil have been associated with acute opioid tolerance and/or opioid-induced hyperalgesia, two phenomena which have different mechanisms and are pharmacologically distinct. Clinical studies show heterogeneity of remifentanil infusion regimens, durations of infusion, maintenance of anaesthesia, cumulative dose of remifentanil and pain measures, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the incidence of acute tolerance or hyperalgesia. However, it appears that intra-operative remifentanil infusion rates of above 0.25 μg.kg-1 .min-1 are associated with higher postoperative opioid consumption, suggesting tolerance. Infusion rates greater than 0.2 μg.kg-1 .min-1 are characterised by lower mechanical/pressure/cold/pain thresholds, which suggests hyperalgesia. The use of concurrent multimodal analgesia, especially N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, may be an effective preventive strategy. The clinical significance and long-term consequences of these entities is still uncertain.