British journal of anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Extradural clonidine does not potentiate analgesia produced by extradural morphine after meniscectomy.
We have studied the ability of clonidine to potentiate morphine analgesia in 28 patients (ASA I) after meniscectomy under general anaesthesia. One hour after surgery, morphine 3 mg (n = 10), clonidine 75 micrograms (n = 8) or morphine 3 mg plus clonidine 75 micrograms (n = 10) was injected extradurally. Morphine alone and in combination with clonidine produced similar and significant analgesia as assessed by verbal analogue pain scores. ⋯ No patient developed sensory or motor block. One patient given morphine alone developed retention of urine. It is concluded that, in the dose used in this study, clonidine did not potentiate the analgesia produced by extradural morphine.
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Conventional lateral radiography was used in 18 elderly male patients to investigate the changes induced by general anaesthesia in the upper airway. The effect of tongue traction under anaesthesia was studied similarly in another 11 patients. ⋯ Traction on the tongue failed to clear the nasopharyngeal obstruction. Attempted inspiration under anaesthesia caused major secondary collapse of the pharynx, with multiple sites of obstruction, similar to that found in obstructive sleep apnoea.