Journal of anesthesia
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Journal of anesthesia · Sep 1994
A comparative study of the efficacy of postoperative analgesia with intraoperative epidural lidocaine with or without morphine.
We compared postoperative analgesia in 15 patients (group A) who were given intraoperative epidural morphine 3 mg and lidocaine 150 mg after laminectomy/discectomy with that of 15 patients (group B) who were given only epidural lidocaine 150 mg. Epidural administration was accomplished by direct placement of the epidural catheter into the epidural space under direct vision during surgery. ⋯ There was no difference in the observed side effects in the two groups. We conclude that postoperative pain relief following laminectomy/discectomy is superior when epidural morphine is added to lidocaine than when lidocaine is being used alone.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the mortality rate in 527 critically ill patients with multiple organ failure (MOF), treated in our ICU between August, 1986 and January, 1992, and to compare it with the results obtained in a group of patients studied who had been treated between October, 1978 and July, 1986. The relationship between the mortality rate and each type of organ failure and the extent of organ system involvement was also investigated. ⋯ The mortality rate of patients with the failure of two organs in the present study was significantly lower than that found in those in the previous study. Although artificial organ mechanical life support technology other than that for patients with renal failure is still unsatisfactory, these results suggest that the prognosis of patients with MOF is improving.