Opioids are routinely administered during the pre-induction period of general anaesthesia (GA) process.  Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is most commonly employed opioid agent owing to its analgesic potency, ease of administration and lack of significant side effects at routine intravenous doses (2-10 mg/kg).  The analgesic use of fentanyl is random and at the best scattered over the perioperative espanse of GA.  Surprisingly, the pre-emptive effect of fentanyl as a sole analgesic has not been studied.  Primarily, it is preferably, used as a reactive analgesic agent to contain subjective pain sensation the patient expresses postoperatively.  In addition, the use of fentanyl is more often than not inadequate owing to fear among anesthesia physician of its side effects including over-sedation, respiratory depression, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), cough and chest wall rigidity.

This research aims to use fentanyl during the pre-induction period with a proactive strategy to gain pre-emptive analgesia, objective attainment of ‘balanced anesthesia’ end points, stable hemodynamics and avoidance of its common side effects.  The phased pattern of research is expected to add to the evolution of a new concept, i.e. ‘perioperative analgesia’, which will positively impact overall post surgical patient outcome.