The Quality of Epidural Morphine Analgesia is not Affected by the Volume of the Drug. |
Dong Hee Kim, Young Mo Kim, Sang Chul Lee |
1Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheon An, Korea. 2Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. |
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Abstract |
BACKGROUND Epidural administration of narcotics has become a common method of postoperative analgesia. However, it is not known whether the volume per se of injectant affects the quality of analgesia or not. This study was designed to determine whether the quality of epidural morphine analgesia is affected by change in volume of the injectant. METHODS Sixty patients, scheduled for cesarean delivery, received epidural anesthesia with 2% lidocaine, fentanyl 100 ug, and epinephrine 1: 200,000. Each patient received 3 mg of morphine epidurally immediately after surgery. Each twenty patients received the morphine in 4 ml(Group 1), 7 ml(Group 2), and 10 ml(Group 3) volume. RESULTS There were no differences among groups in duration, quality of postoperative analgesia and incidence of side effects. CONCLUSIONS When morphine was given epidurally, volume of the drug has no effect on duration, quality of analgesia, and incidence of side effects. We concluded that the dosage of morphine, rather than its volume or concentration, determines the extent and quality of analgesia. |
Key Words:
Analgesia; postoperative; Analgesics; fentanyl; morphine; Anesthetic techniques; epidural |
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