Butorphanol tartrate, a synthetic morphinan which has analgesic agonist and antagonist properties, was compared with meperidine for balanced anaesthesia. The two agents were found to be comparable in efficacy, maintenance of cardiovascular stability, and incidence of side-effects. Butorphanol has the advantage of being non-narcotic and having a lower propensity for addiction. Because of its antagonist properties, there appears to be a limit to its depressant effects on respiration.
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