Transplantation proceedings
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of two different techniques of postoperative analgesia management in liver transplant donors: a prospective, randomized, double-blind study.
The aim of this study was the compare the donor patients who received intravenous (IV) morphine with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) or epidural morphine during the early postoperative period who underwent liver transplantation. Forty patients were included in the study and randomly divided into 2 groups in a double-blinded manner. They were given IV morphine 5 mg (Group C), or epidural anesthesia adding morphine (2 mg; Group E) by epidural anesthesia technique starting 15 minutes before the estimated time of completion of surgery. ⋯ Furthermore, total morphine consumption in Group C was significantly higher than that in Group E (P < .05). Epidural morphine via PCEA was associated with decreased postoperative VAS scores and morphine consumption. These findings may be beneficial for managing postoperative analgesia protocols in liver transplant donor patients.