Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Apr 1981
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialEpidural morphine for postoperative pain relief.
Thirty-three patients were randomly assigned to two groups to study the analgesic potency, duration of action and side effects of epidural and intramuscular morphine after hip surgery. Two milligrams of preservative-free morphine chloride in 10 ml of normal saline in the epidural space was compared to 10 mg of intramuscularly administered morphine. There was a more rapid onset of action after intramuscular morphine. ⋯ Nausea and/or vomiting was less common after epidural morphine (20% versus 55%). Pruritus or respiratory depression which have been reported previously were not encountered. However, it is recommended that preservative-free solution are used to avoid itching and that the patients are monitored, as respiratory depression may occur long after administration of epidural opiate.