Quantified Ataxic Breathing Can Detect Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression Earlier in Normal Volunteers Infused with Remifentanil

• Published in: Anesthesia and analgesia Vol. 141; no. 3; p. 507
• Main Authors: Farney, Robert J, Johnson, Ken B, Ermer, Sean C, Orr, Joseph A, Egan, Talmage D, Morris, Alan H, Brewer, Lara M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.2025
• Subjects: Adult; Analgesics, Opioid - administration & dosage; Analgesics, Opioid - adverse effects; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Male; Middle Aged; Piperidines - administration & dosage; Piperidines - adverse effects; Plethysmography; Remifentanil; Respiration - drug effects; Respiratory Insufficiency - chemically induced; Respiratory Insufficiency - diagnosis; Respiratory Insufficiency - physiopathology; Respiratory Rate - drug effects; Support Vector Machine; Young Adult

Ataxic breathing (AB) is a well-known manifestation of opioid effects in animals and humans, but is not routinely included in monitoring for opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD). We quantified AB in normal volunteers receiving increasing doses of remifentanil. We used a support vector machin...