A target plasma concentration is entered as ng/ml into the pump, which calculates its infusion rate according to patient factors like age and weight. Induction levels of 40 ng/ml are commonly used, but it generally varies between 3–8 ng/ml. For certain surgical procedures that produce particularly strong stimuli a level of up to 15 ng/ml might be needed. The relatively short context-sensitive half-life of remifentanil allows the desired blood plasma level to be achieved quickly, and also for the same reason, recovery occurs quickly. This allows remifentanil to be used in unique circumstances such as cesarean section.Remifentanils short context-sensitive half-life makes it ideal for intense pain of short duration. As such, it has been used for analgesia in labor successfully; however, it is not as effective as epidural analgesia.In combination with propofol, remifentanil is used for anesthesia of patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy. Metabolism
Remifentanil is considered a metabolic soft drug, one that is rapidly metabolized to an inactive form. Unlike other synthetic opioids which are hepatically metabolized, remifentanil has an ester linkage which undergoes rapid hydrolysis by non-specific tissue and plasma esterases. This means that accumulation does not occur with remifentanil and its context-sensitive half-life remains at 4 minutes after a 4-hour infusion. Remifentanil is metabolized to a compound (remifentanil acid) which has 1/4600th the potency of the parent compound.Due to its quick metabolism and short effects, remifentanil has opened up new possibilities in anesthesia. When remifentanil is used together with a hypnotic (i.e. one that produces sleep) it can be used in relative high doses.
PCE may stand for:

Business and economics
Personal consumption expenditure, or private consumption expenditure
Personal consumption expenditures price index, a measure of inflation

Chemistry and engineering
PCE or eticyclidine, an illegal drug related to Phencyclidine (PCP)
Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), widely used in dry-cleaning
Pro-opiomelanocortin converting enzyme, an enzyme
Pyrometric cone equivalent, measuring heat in the firing of pottery
Power conversion efficiency, a near synonym for "Energy conversion efficiency" often used in the field of photovoltaics

Computing
Path computation element, a network element used for pathfinding
Principle of computational equivalence, a concept developed by Stephen Wolfram published in the book A New Kind of Science
PC Engine, a video game console

Medicine
Prenatal cocaine exposure, exposure of a fetus to cocaine when a pregnant woman uses the drug
Eticyclidine, a dissociative anesthetic drug

Organizations
Paavai College of Engineering, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India
Padmanava College of Engineering, Rourkela, an engineering college in Rourkela, Orissa state, India
Parents for Choice in Education, an advocacy group in Utah, U.S.