Background: Reducing the duration of the effect of sedatives and increasing their quality is one of the tasks of ICU staff. The aim of this study is to compare the sedative effects of these medications on neurosurgery patients under mechanical ventilation.

Materials and Methods: In this double-blind clinical trial, 70 patients requiring mechanical ventilation in neurosurgery ICU were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to one of remifentanil or fentanyl groups. The first group received 0.05 µg/kg/min remifentanil and the second group received 1 µg/kg/hr fentanyl infusion for sedation and analgesia in the first 24 hours. Sedation score, Minogue scale and hemodynamic parameters were evaluated throughout the study and at regular intervals. 

Results: There was no significant statistical difference in demographic variables such as age, sex, and body weight between two groups. The results of this study showed a significant difference in sedation score (p=0.0001) and Minogue scale (p=0.0001) and both variables were lower in remifentanil group. Also, heart rate (p=0.011) and mean arterial blood pressure (p=0.007) were significantly higher in fentanyl group.

Conclusion: Generally, sedative effect of remifentanil has several relative advantages over older medication of fentanyl and causes more effective sedation and better control of hemodynamic parameters in patients under mechanical ventilation.