• R C Etches, T L Gammer, and R Cornish.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Queensland, Australia.
• Anesth. Analg. 1996 Jul 1;83(1):81-6.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to compare meperidine to meperidine with bupivacaine when used for patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) after thoracotomy. For 3 days after thoracotomy patients received thoracic PCEA with meperidine 0.1% plain or with added bupivacaine 0.1% or 0.01%. No background infusion was used. All patients received indomethacin postoperatively for the duration of the study. Patients were assessed with respect to meperidine consumption, analgesia, and side effects. Sixty-six patients participated. Patients in all three groups obtained effective analgesia with median meperidine consumption of 5-6 mg/h. There were no significant differences between groups in meperidine consumption or pain scores at rest or with coughing. The addition of bupivacaine 0.1% reduced the incidence of pruritus (P = 0.036), but 5 of 23 patients in this group were with-drawn from the study because of significant hypotension, oliguria, and/or motor or sensory block (P = 0.006). We conclude that the addition of bupivacaine 0.1% or 0.01% to thoracic PCEA meperidine 0.1% does not affect meperidine requirements or analgesia after thoracotomy. The addition of bupivacaine 0.1% may reduce pruritus, but is associated with signs of excessive sensory, motor, or autonomic blockade in a significant number of patients.

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