SynthesisClinical pharmacokinetics2025
Pharmacokinetics of Opioid Infusions in the Adult Intensive Care Unit Setting-A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Clinical pharmacokinetics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Fentanyl-Responsive Microneedle Patch for Harm Reduction.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Strategies for a Rational Use of Opioids in Critical Care Settings.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPharmacokinetics (PKs) of drugs are often altered in the intensive care unit (ICU). Opioids are often used in the ICU, particularly as continuous infusions, and their characteristics lead them to undergo PK alterations. We conducted a systematic review to assess the PK of opioid infusions in the ICU.
methodsEmbase, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews (EBMR) were searched from inception to March 2024. Studies were included if they evaluated PKs of opioid infusions in adult patients in the ICU. Two reviewers independently selected and extracted data.
resultsOut of the 1040 records screened, 17 studies were included. Five studies were conducted on fentanyl, seven on morphine, one on hydromorphone, two on remifentanil, two on alfentanil, and one on sufentanil. Most studies where observational studies or case series. The mean age was 56 years old. Duration of the infusion varied between 3 h and 20 days. PKs of fentanyl, sufentanil, and hydromorphone were significantly impaired, whereas the PKs of morphine, alfentanil, and remifentanil were impaired to a lesser degree. The PK parameter that was most affected by critical illness was the half-life (T½).
conclusionsTo counter these PK alterations, new therapeutic avenues must be further explored in the ICU to individualize opioid infusions.
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Identifiers
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Registered trials
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