European journal of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics
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Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet · Mar 2021
Clinical TrialPharmacokinetics of Morphine and Morphine-6-Glucuronide During Postoperative Pain Therapy in Cardiac Surgery Patients.
Morphine is a standard analgesic drug for postoperative pain therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of morphine and its active metabolite morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) in cardiac surgery patients during postoperative analgesia. ⋯ The pharmacokinetics of morphine and M6G in pain therapy of cardiac surgery patients could be well described by standard compartmental models. Cardiac output was identified as a significant covariate for morphine clearance, whereas renal function was identified as the most significant covariate for clearance of M6G. These effects should be particularly considered if morphine is administered as a continuous infusion. The developed pharmacokinetic model also enables patient-controlled target-controlled infusion for pain therapy with morphine.