Heart & lung : the journal of critical care
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A pilot study of pain, analgesia use, and pulmonary function after colectomy with or without a preoperative bolus of epidural morphine.
To determine whether patients who received a preoperative bolus of epidural morphine plus postoperative parenteral analgesia had less pain and better pulmonary function over the first 2 days after a colectomy than patients who received postoperative parenteral analgesia alone. ⋯ Results should be confirmed through study of a larger sample with the hypothesis that pain relief, selected aspects of pulmonary function, and peripheral oxygenation may be superior for patients who receive a preoperative bolus of epidural analgesia for abdominal surgery.