Journal of pediatric orthopedics
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effects of preemptive analgesia using continuous subcutaneous morphine for postoperative pain in scoliosis surgery: a randomized study.
The authors evaluated prospectively the efficacy and safety of continuous subcutaneous morphine administration for postoperative analgesia after posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation for idiopathic scoliosis. Thirty patients were given the subcutaneous morphine infusion (20 mg/day), and 20 patients were not given morphine (control group). Postoperative pain control was assessed using a verbal response score (VRS) and a visual analog pain scale (VAS). ⋯ Also, analgesic consumption in the continuous subcutaneous morphine group was lower than that of the control group. There was no respiratory depression or constipation. Preemptive analgesia using continuous subcutaneous infusion of morphine is a simple, safe, and effective method to control postoperative pain after posterior instrumentation and spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis.