Comparison of caudal morphine and tramadol for postoperative pain control in children undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy

OBJECTIVES: We compared the quality and duration of analgesia, the effect on perioperative sevoflurane requirement after a single, presurgical caudal block with either tramadol or morphine in children undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy. Our study was also designed to evaluate the preemptive analgesic efficacy of morphine administered caudally in children. METHODS: Patients were randomly divided into three groups to receive 2 mg.kg-1 tramadol (group T, preemptive group) or morphine sulphate 0.03 mg.kg-1 (group M, preemptive group). The patients in control group (group C, postincisional group) received morphine sulphate 0.03 mg.kg-1 at the end of surgery, caudally. Cardiorespiratory data, sedation and pain were recorded for 24 h following recovery from anaesthesia. RESULTS: There were no differences between the three groups in baseline blood pressure or heart rate; or duration of anaesthesia, surgery. The inhaled sevoflurane concentration was significantly lower in group M and group T than in the control group. The quality and duration of postoperative pain relief did not differ between the three groups. There were no intergroup differences in postoperative nausea, vomiting, or other complications. CONCLUSION: Caudal tramadol (2 mg.kg-1) provided reliable postoperative analgesia similar to caudal morphine (0.03 mg.kg-1) in quality and duration of pain relief in our study children who were undergoing herniorrhaphy. We also concluded that presurgical caudal morphine or tramadol reduced perioperative sevoflurane requirements and either presurgical or postsurgical caudal morphine did not make any difference to postoperative analgesia.     

Caudal bupivacaine-tramadol combination for postoperative analgesia in pediatric herniorrhaphy

BACKGROUND: Administration of bupivacaine caudally has been used for postoperative analgesia after urogenital, rectal and lower abdominal surgery in children. Caudal opioids may offer analgesic advantages over bupivacaine alone but have been associated with side effects such as respiratory depression. Tramadol is an analgesic assumed to lack a respiratory depressant effect and has been shown to provide effective, long-lasting analgesia after epidural administration in adults and children. The aim of this study was to determine whether the addition of tramadol to bupivacaine caudally prolongs the duration of analgesia compared with bupivacaine alone, with respect to side effects, and whether caudal tramadol alone provides satisfactory analgesia. METHODS: Sixty boys, aged 12-84 months, undergoing unilateral herniorrhaphy, were allocated randomly to three groups. Children in group B received 0.25% plain bupivacaine 1 ml kg(-1), group BT received an identical local anesthetic dose mixed with tramadol 1.5 mg kg(-1) and group T received caudal tramadol 1.5 mg kg(-1) in 0.9% sodium chloride in the same total volume (1 ml kg(-1)). Pain and demeanour assessments were made 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12 and 24 h after recovery from anesthesia with reference to a three-point scale. RESULTS: Analgesia time (time between caudal injection and first administration of analgesic) in group BT (13.5+/-2.2 h) was significantly longer than in the other two groups (P<0.05). In group T, more patients required additional analgesia after surgery than in the other two groups (P<0.05). Pain scores in the three groups were similar up to 4 h after operation but the mean score in group T was higher than groups B and BT 4 and 6 h after operation (P<0.05). Significantly more patients who had received caudal bupivacaine alone or with tramadol had lower pain and demeanour scores during the first 24 h after operation compared with those in the tramadol group. CONCLUSION: Caudal administration of bupivacaine with the addition of tramadol resulted in superior analgesia with a longer period without demand for additional analgesics compared with caudal bupivacaine and tramadol alone without an increase of side effects.     

Effect of combined prednisolone, epidural analgesia and indomethacin on pain, systemic response and convalescence after cholecystectomy

Twelve patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy received as analgesic medication a single dose of methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) preoperatively and thoracic epidural analgesia with plain bupivacaine for 48 hours + epidural morphine 4 mg and systemic indomethacin 100 mg, both every 8 hours for 96 hours. Assessments of pain, various parameters of response to injury, peak flow and subjective fatigue were made preoperatively, before and 3 and 6 hours after skin incision and 1, 2, 4 and 8 days postoperatively. These patients were matched with 24 from a previous study who were treated with either intermittent nicomorphine and acetaminophen or with epidural analgesia + systemic indomethacin as analgesic medication. Preoperative methylprednisolone resulted in improved pain relief, with concomitantly reduced need for epidural bupivacaine, prevention of hyperthermic response, improved postoperative pulmonary function and lessened fatigue, while the leucocytic and acute phase responses were unmodified. There were no side effects. These results may be explained by inhibition of various trauma-induced inflammatory mediators.     

硬膜外注射曲马多和康尼克通合剂用于术后镇痛的观察

报道了硬膜外注射曲马多和康尼克通合剂用于术后镇痛。随机分为四组，即对照组、曲马多组、康尼克通组和曲马多与康尼克通合用组。采用双盲法观察镇痛时间、疼痛缓解率及有关并发症。结果表明，曲马多和康尼克通联合应用明显优于单一用药，表现为镇痛时间明显延长，疼痛缓解率显著提高，血浆去甲肾上腺素和肾上腺素水平下降明显。证明曲马多和康尼克通联合应用具有协同增效作用，且简单易行。     

曲马多布比卡因治疗前列腺切除术后疼痛

目的;探讨曲马多,布比卡因混合液持续硬膜外腔注入治疗前列腺切除术后疼痛的疗效。方法：选择４０例前列腺增生症（ＢＰＨ）患者,随机分为两组,均于连续硬膜外麻醉下行耻骨上经膀胱前列腺切除术,术后留置硬膜外管４８ｈ。实验组采用曲马多,布比卡因混合液持续硬膜外注入,对照组采用单纯曲马多间断注入。     

曲马多硬膜外腔或肌肉注射用于术后镇痛的观察与比较

本文通过４０例硬膜外腔麻醉行中、上腹部手术后硬膜外腔注入曲马多（ＥＴ）与肌肉注射曲马多（ＭＴ）１００ｍｇ的观察比较发现，ＥＴ组舒张压下降有显著性（Ｐ＜０．０５），两组的镇痛效果及副作用的出现相似（Ｐ＞０．０５），镇痛起效时间ＥＴ组快于ＭＴ组（Ｐ＜０．００１），镇痛维持时间ＥＴ组短于ＭＴ组（Ｐ＜０．０５），２４ｈ内重复注药次数的发生率ＥＴ组高于ＭＴ组（Ｐ＜０．０５），且ＥＴ组多数病人有带管不适感。表明曲马多术后镇痛选用ＭＴ法更具优越性     

A comparison of single dose caudal tramadol, tramadol plus bupivacaine and bupivacaine administration for postoperative analgesia in children

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to compare the effect of single dose caudal tramadol, tramadol plus bupivacaine and bupivacaine on the management of postoperative pain in children. METHODS: Sixty-three children in ASA groups I-II, between the ages of 1 and 5 were evaluated for postoperative pain randomly divided into three groups as follows: In group T, only tramadol was given caudally; in group TB, tramadol-bupivacaine was given caudally; in group B, bupivacaine was given alone. Pain was evaluated by using the paediatric objective pain scale (POPS). Sedation was evaluated with a 5-point test. There were no differences with age, weight, haemodynamic and respiratory parameters between groups. RESULTS: For 24 h postoperatively, the POPS value showed no statistically significant difference among groups (P > 0.05). Postoperative analgesia was maintained for 24 h. Nausea and vomiting was found to be higher in the tramadol group than in the bupivacaine group and tramadol-bupivacaine group (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: Tramadol used caudally is as effective as bupivacaine in the management of postoperative pain in children and the addition of tramadol to bupivacaine, when both drugs were administered caudally, did not prolong the duration of action of bupivacaine and is a safe agent in children.     

Postoperative pain relief in children

Two hundred and fifty children undergoing herniotomy or orchidopexy under general anaesthesia were randomly allocated to receive pre-operatively either diclofenac sodium 1 mg.kg^-1 given intramuscularly or a caudal injection of bupivacaine 0.25% 1 ml.kg^-1 with or without adrenaline or no analgesia. Plasma diclofenac and beta-endorphin concentrations were determined in eight and 21 patients respectively. Postoperative pain was assessed by ward nurses who were blinded to the group allocation. Comparison with the control group showed diclofenac to be an effective analgesic. Caudal bupivacaine provided more pain-free children during the early postoperative hours, but later the need for pethidine as rescue analgesic was lower among the children who had received intramuscular diclofenac. Caudal analgesia abolished the stress-induced increase in plasma beta-endorphin level which was found in the children given diclofenac and in those who served as controls. Total plasma clearance of intramuscular diclofenac sodium appears to be higher in children than in adults. A single intramuscular dose of diclofenac significantly reduces the need for an opioid analgesic in children after inguinal herniotomy or orchidopexy, and owing to its long duration of action, it offers an alternative or complementary method of pain relief to caudal analgesia.     

Efficacy of three doses of ketamine with bupivacaine for caudal analgesia in pediatric inguinal herniotomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ketamine administered systemically is a potent analgesic at subanesthetic plasma concentrations. Addition of ketamine to bupivacaine for caudal epidural block significantly prolongs the duration of postoperative analgesia. The purpose of this prospective, randomized double-blind study is to identify the optimal dose of ketamine that produces the maximum duration of caudal analgesia with minimal adverse effects as an adjuvant to bupivacaine for caudal epidural block. METHODS: Sixty children, aged 6 months to 10 years, undergoing inguinal herniotomy were allocated randomly to receive 1 of 3 solutions for caudal epidural block. Group 1 received 0.75 mL/kg of bupivacaine 0.25% with preservative-free ketamine 0.25 mg/kg, group 2 received 0.75 mL/kg of bupivacaine 0.25% with ketamine 0.5 mg/kg, and group 3 received 0.75 mL/kg of bupivacaine 0.25% with ketamine 1 mg/kg. Postoperative pain was assessed using the All India Institute of Medical Sciences pain discomfort scale. Rescue analgesia in the form of pethidine 1 mg/kg intramuscularly was administered when this score exceeded 4. RESULTS: The mean duration of caudal analgesia was 8.8 hours in group 1 compared with 22.1 hours in group 2 (P <.001) and 25.2 hours in group 3 (P <.001). Supplemental analgesia requirements with pethidine were significantly less in group 2 (4 subjects) and group 3 (no subject) when compared with group 1 (18 subjects). There were no differences between the groups in the incidence of motor blockade, urinary retention, emesis, or sedation. Group 3 had a significantly higher incidence of behavioral side effects such as odd behavior, agitation, or restlessness than groups 1 and 2. CONCLUSIONS: The optimal dose of ketamine in our study was 0.5 mg/kg added to 0.75 mL/kg bupivacaine 0.25% for caudal epidural block without an increase in side effects.     

Caudal analgesia with buprenorphine for postoperative pain relief in children

Caudal buprenorphine was investigated as a postoperative analgesic in a randomized double blind study in thirty children aged 5–12 years undergoing lower abdominal and lower limb surgery. Comparison was made between two groups of patients, one group receiving plain bupivacaine and the other a combination of plain bupivacaine with buprenorphine. Postoperative analgesia was assessed using a linear analogue scale, and by the response to direct questioning of children using an illustration of sequence of faces. Any untoward side effects and the need for additional analgesics were recorded. The degree and duration of analgesia was far superior in the buprenorphine group and there was a highly significant difference in the requirement of postoperative analgesia between the two groups. There were no major adverse side effects and no motor weakness in either groups, however the incidence of nausea and vomiting was higher in the buprenorphine group. It is concluded that a combination of bupivacaine with buprenorphine administered through the caudal epidural space is a safe and reliable means of providing postoperative pain relief in children for up to 24 h.     

Cost-effectiveness of analgesia after Caesarean section. A comparison of intrathecal morphine and epidural PCA

BACKGROUND: Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) techniques and intrathecal morphine are the most widely used treatments for post-Caesarean section pain. However these methods have not been compared with respect to analgesic quality and cost differences. METHODS: Fifty-three patients scheduled for elective or semi-urgent Caesarean section were randomized to receive for postoperative analgesia either epidural PCA with a mixture containing bupivacaine 0.06% and sufentanil 1 microg x ml(-1) or intrathecal morphine 0.15 mg together with the spinal anaesthetic and to be supplemented with paracetamol and tramadol. Analgesic efficacy, side-effects and costs were calculated during 48 h. RESULTS: VAS pain scores both at rest and during mobilization were lower in the PCA group, more particularly during the second postoperative day. Nausea and vomiting were more frequently registered in the morphine treated patients. PCA treated patients stayed longer in the recovery room but required fewer nurse interventions on the surgical ward. Manpower and drug costs were equal in both groups. The differences in total costs (Euro) amounted to euros 33 and were mainly caused by the more expensive equipment required for epidural PCA. Satisfaction and hospital discharge were similar for both treatments. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that epidural PCA induced better pain relief, caused less nausea/vomiting but was more expensive than intrathecal morphine.     

Caudal clonidine and bupivacaine for combined epidural and general anaesthesia in children

Background: Clonidine produces analgesia by actions on α₂-ad-renoceptors and enhances both sensory and motor blockade from epidural injection of local anaesthetics. Low-dose clonidine has been used so far for caudal injection in children. Our aim was to study the perioperative effects of high-dose caudal clonidine when added to low concentration of bupivacaine for combined epidural and general anaesthesia in children. Methods: After induction of general anaesthesia caudal block was performed either with 1 ml kg^-1 bupivacaine 0.175% with the addition of clonidine 5 μg kg^-1 (n=20), or with 1 ml kg^-1bupivacaine 0.175% (n=20). The intraoperative anaesthetic requirements, the perioperative haemodynamic effects, respiratory rate, sedation score, postoperative pain scores and side effects were assessed by a blinded observer. A patient-controlled analgesia system was used for postoperative pain relief. The quality of postoperative pain relief was assessed using Smiley's pain analogue scale. Results: Intraoperative haemodynamic responses did not differ between the groups. However, during emergence from general anaesthesia children in the clonidine group had significantly lower heart rates and blood pressures compared to children in the control group. In addition, heart rates and blood pressures were also lower in the clonidine group in the early postoperative period (P?< 0.05). Postoperative analgesia was significantly better in the clonidine group as evidenced by the total number of requests (3 vs 12, P< 0.05) and the total amount of tramadol (20.5 mg vs 72.8 mg, P < 0.05) administered. The duration of the caudal analgesia was significantly longer in the clonidine group (20.9±7.4 h vs 14.4±10.9 h, P< 0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that caudal clonidine 5 μg kg^-1 enhances and prolongs caudal blockade with bupivacaine 0.175% in children. It also blocks sympathoadrenergic responses during emergence from anaesthesia. Sedation and cardiovascular effects are observed up to 3 h into the postoperative period.     

Caudal additives in pediatrics: a comparison among midazolam, ketamine, and neostigmine coadministered with bupivacaine

Single-shot "kiddie caudal" with bupivacaine alone is losing popularity because of its duration of 4-8 h. In a prospective randomized double-blind clinical study, we assessed and compared the efficacy of ketamine, midazolam, and neostigmine coadministered with bupivacaine in a caudal epidural to provide intraoperative and postoperative pain relief. Eighty children (ASA status I) aged 5-10 yr undergoing unilateral inguinal herniotomy were allocated randomly in equal numbers (n = 20) into 4 groups to receive a caudal injection of 0.25% bupivacaine (1 mL/kg) with or without ketamine (0.5 mg/kg), midazolam (50 microg/kg), and neostig-mine (2 microg/kg), after the induction of standardized general anesthesia without premedication. Monitoring for pain, sedation, postoperative nausea/vomiting, dizziness, and pruritus was performed by anesthesiologists blinded to the study allocation. The time to first analgesic administration (paracetamol syrup) was longer (P < 0.05) in the bupivacaine-neostigmine group and the bupivacaine-midazolam group than in the other groups. Undesirable effects, such as emesis, pruritus, and dizziness, were comparable in all groups. However, the incidence of hallucination was more frequent in the bupivacaine-ketamine group compared with the other groups. This study shows that single-shot caudal coadministration of bupivacaine-neostigmine and bupivacaine-midazolam was associated with an extended duration of postoperative pain relief.     

Preemptive ketamine during general anesthesia for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy

AIM: Preemptive analgesia is currently in use in the management of postoperative pain and no more under search. The administration of ketamine as intraoperative analgesic agent is well-known since a long time; the analgesic properties of this drug are related to its actions as a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors antagonist; these receptors present an excitatory function on pain transmission and this binding seems to prevent or reverse the central sensitisation of every kind of pain, including postoperative pain. In literature, the use of this anesthetic for the preemptive analgesia in the management of postoperative pain is controversial; for this reason the aim of our study was the clinical evaluation of preemptive perioperative analgesia with low-doses ketamine. METHODS: This trial involved 40 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, with the same surgical operator; postoperative analgesia was performed with the intraoperative administration of ketamine (0.7 mg/kg) or tramadol (15 mg/kg). A randomized, double-blind study was performed; after an inhalatory/analgesic general anesthesia (sevofluorane + remifentanyl) the postoperative-pain control was clinically evaluated through algometric measurements (Visual Analog Scale, Verbal Rating Scale, Pain Intensity Difference); supplemental doses of tramadol were administered if required, also to quantify the adequacy of analgesia, and adverse effects were evaluated. RESULTS: The results show that preemptive intraoperative analgesia with ketamine produces a good analgesia at the awakening, despite low duration (approximately 1 hour), and upgrades the analgesic effect of tramadol in the postoperative period. Among the adverse effects, some (for example nausea) were related to the administration of both analgesics and to the kind of surgery, others (hallucinosis, nystagmus, photophobia, psychomotor excitation, psychotic symptoms) were due to ketamine, and others (respiratory depression and hypotension) could be related to tramadol. Although the adverse effects due to ketamine are more numerous than those related to tramadol, the second could potentially be more dangerous. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that preemptive low-doses ketamine is able to produce an adequate postoperative analgesia and increases the analgesic effect of tramadol; furthermore, ketamine adverse effects could be reduced by intraoperative administration of benzodiazepines and/or antiemetic drugs, or by the association of ketamine and a peripheral analgesic (ketorolac).     

Catheterized peridural anesthesia as a procedure for intra- and postoperative pain therapy in chemonucleolysis

In 13 patients scheduled for intradiscal therapy with chymopapain we performed continuous lumbar epidural anaesthesia as a method of intra- and postoperative pain relief. In all patients epidural anaesthesia provided a sufficient analgesia by the use of bupivacaine 0.75% intraoperatively. In contrast to chemonucleolysis under general anaesthesia only half of the patients needed postoperative pain therapy, which was achieved by the epidural injection of bupivacaine 0.25%.     

Preoperative adjuvant epidural tramadol: the effect of different doses on postoperative analgesia and pain processing

Background: Tramadol is an analgesic with combined opioid agonist and monoamine reuptake blocker properties, which may be useful as a perioperative analgesic and antinociceptive adjuvant.
Methods: The dose-dependent effects of adjuvant preoperative epidural tramadol on postoperative analgesia (pain scores and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) use) and pain processing (heat pain thresholds) were prospectively studied in a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled 5-day trial. Forty patients undergoing knee or hip surgery received anaesthesia with epidural lidocaine and epidural tramadol 20, 50 or 100 mg or placebo as a preoperative adjuvant. Postoperative analgesia was by intravenous PCA tramadol in all patients.
Results: Postoperative pain scores were similar in all groups. The time to first PCA use was shorter, the total dose and duration of PCA use greater, and side-effects more common with 20 mg tramadol than with 100 mg or placebo ( P <0.05). There were no differences in PCA doses required or side-effects between the tramadol 100 mg and placebo treatment groups. Heat pain tolerance thresholds were increased with 100 mg tramadol at 48 h postoperatively compared to baseline and placebo ( P = 0.01).
Conclusions: Preoperative adjuvant epidural tramadol does not improve postoperative analgesia after lidocaine epidural anaesthesia compared to placebo. Tramadol 20 mg results in anti-analgesia and increased side-effects. While tramadol 100 mg depresses postoperative pain-processing, as measured by heat pain tolerance thresholds, this is not reflected in improved clinical pain measures.     

Comparison of caudal epidural bupivacaine with bupivacaine plus tramadol and bupivacaine plus ketamine for postoperative analgesia in children

This study compared the effect of single-dose caudal epidural bupivacaine, bupivacaine plus ketamine and bupivacaine plus tramadol for postoperative pain management in children having surgery for inguinal hernia. Following ethics committee approval and informed parental consent, 75 children ASA PS I and II, between three and nine years of age and scheduled for elective unilateral inguinal hernia repair with general anaesthesia were recruited. The patients were randomly divided into three groups to receive 0.5 ml/kg caudal bupivacaine 0.25% (group B), bupivacaine 0.25% plus tramadol 1 mg/kg (group BT) or bupivacaine 0.25% plus ketamine 0.5 mg/kg (group BK). The injections were performed under general anaesthesia. Mean arterial pressure, heart rate, pulse oximetry, respiratory rate and sedation and pain scores were recorded at defined intervals following recovery from anaesthesia. The groups were similar in age, weight and duration of operation (P >0.05). No patient experienced hypotension, bradycardia or respiratory depression. Duration of analgesia was (mean+/-SD) 6.5+/-4.1 h in group B, 9.2+/-3.9 h in group BK, and 8.5+/-3.1 h in group BT (P <0.05). More patients in group B required supplementary analgesics in the first 24 h (P <0.05). Sedation scores were comparable in all groups. Incidence of emesis and pruritus was similar in all the groups. Caudally administered 0.5 ml/kg bupivacaine 0.25% plus ketamine or bupivacaine 0.25% plus tramadol 1 mg/kg provided significantly longer duration of analgesia without an increase in the adverse effects when compared to bupivacaine alone.     

A randomized,double-blinded comparison of thoracic epidural ropivacaine,ropivacaine/fentanyl,or bupivacaine/fentanyl for postthoracotomy analgesia

Epidural ropivacaine has not been compared with bupivacaine for postthoracotomy analgesia. Eighty patients undergoing elective lung surgery were randomized in a double-blinded manner to receive one of three solutions for high thoracic epidural analgesia. A continuous epidural infusion of 0.1 mL. kg(-1). h(-1) of either 0.2% ropivacaine, 0.15% ropivacaine/fentanyl 5 micro g/mL, or 0.1% bupivacaine/fentanyl 5 micro g/mL was started at admission to the intensive care unit. We assessed pain scores (rest and spirometry), IV morphine consumption, spirometry, hand grip strength, PaCO(2), heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and side effects (sedation, nausea, vomiting, and pruritus) for 48 h. Thoracic epidural ropivacaine/fentanyl provided adequate pain relief similar to bupivacaine/fentanyl during the first 2 postoperative days after posterolateral thoracotomy. The use of plain 0.2% ropivacaine was associated with worse pain control during spirometry, larger consumption of IV morphine, and increased incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Morphine requirements were larger in the ropivacaine group, with no differences between bupivacaine/fentanyl and ropivacaine/fentanyl groups. Patients in the ropivacaine group experienced more pain and performed worse in spirometry than patients who received epidural fentanyl. There was no significant difference in motor block. We conclude that epidural ropivacaine/fentanyl offers no clinical advantage compared with bupivacaine/fentanyl for postthoracotomy analgesia. IMPLICATIONS: Thoracic epidural ropivacaine/fentanyl provided adequate pain relief and similar analgesia to bupivacaine/fentanyl during the first 2 postoperative days after posterolateral thoracotomy. Plain 0.2% ropivacaine was associated with worse pain control and an increased incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. We conclude that epidural ropivacaine/fentanyl offers no clinical advantage compared with bupivacaine/fentanyl for postthoracotomy analgesia.     

Continuous epidural infusion of bupivacaine and buprenorphine for postoperative pain relief]

The efficacy for postoperative analgesia and side-effect of combined epidural infusion of bupivacaine and buprenorphine in comparison with each of these drugs alone were evaluated in 150 patients. All patients received initially bupivacaine 8 ml and buprenorphine 0.1 mg. In a random order, epidural infusion of 5 micrograms.ml-1 buprenorphine 1 ml.h-1 (group A; n = 50), 0.25% bupivacaine 1 ml.h-1 (group B; n = 50), or a combination of the two drugs 1 ml.h-1 (group C; n = 50) was continued for 48 h by a portable disposable device. The analgesic efficacy in group C was superior to that in group A or group B. No significant difference in the incidence of side-effect was found among the three groups. We conclude that epidural analgesia with the combination of buprenorphine and bupivacaine is safe, and easy to manage, giving pain relief superior to that provided by each of these drugs alone.     

The use of epidural morphine in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty

Sixty-six patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty were offered epidural morphine as a method of postoperative analgesia. Of the 66 patients, 50 completed the minimum protocol of 3 days in a special epidural monitoring unit and were thus available for study. In this study group, 86% stated that they obtained 75-100% relief of pain with each epidural injection. Greater than 90% of the patients rated the overall experience with epidural analgesia as excellent or good. Ninety percent stated that they would choose epidural morphine analgesia again if given the choice. Nausea and vomiting were the most common adverse effects, occurring in 34%. One patient experienced respiratory depression, which was reversed with Narcan. The most frequent complaint related to the procedure itself was the use of an apnea monitor; 18% of the patients considered this monitoring device intolerable. The progress of total knee arthroplasties in the epidural unit was monitored by range of motion achieved. At 72 hours the average motion was 10 degrees-87 degrees and at the end of the hospital stay was 6 degrees-98 degrees. The total hospital bill for epidural morphine analgesic patients was $469 more than for a conventional arthroplasty patient, though the mean duration of hospital stay was 1.7 days less for the epidural morphine patients. Epidural morphine provided excellent but inconsistent postoperative pain relief. When relief was present, aggressive in-house rehabilitation could be instituted, and a shorter overall hospital stay was achieved when compared with conventional analgesia. Nonetheless, the related adverse effects and inconsistent pain relief on many patients may preclude the use of epidural morphine as a single postoperative analgesic agent.