A simple HPLC method for the determination of butorphanol tartrate and ondansetron hydrochloride in patient-controlled analgesia solution

Abstract

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was established for simultaneous determination of butorphanol tartrate and ondansetron hydrochloride in analgesic mixture samples used for patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). The separation of butorphanol tartrate and ondansetron hydrochloride in PCA solution was carried out on phenomenex C18 column (4.6 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm) using 50 mM sodium acetate (pH 4.0) buffer and acetonitrile (72:28, v/v). Flow rate was 1.0 mL min−1 with a column temperature of 30 °C, and detection wavelength was carried out at 280 nm and 306 nm. Validation of the method was made in terms of specificity, linearity, accuracy, and intra- and inter-day precision, as well as quantification and detection limits. The developed method was successfully used to evaluate the chemical stability of butorphanol tartrate and ondansetron hydrochloride in analgesic mixtures at the usual concentration used for PCA.