Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Oct 1993
Case ReportsEpidural morphine for postoperative pain relief in children.
Epidural morphine for postoperative pain relief is in general use, and has proved to be very efficient in adults. The epidural technique and the use of epidural morphine are much less frequent in children. For 2 years we have prospectively followed 76 children who had epidural morphine for postoperative pain relief after major abdominal surgery. ⋯ In conclusion, the use of epidural morphine in children for postoperative pain relief is very efficient. The minimal effective dose has not been established as yet, but 50 micrograms/kg every 8 h, supplemented with small doses of bupivacaine, provides excellent analgesia in the immediate postoperative period after major abdominal surgery. The side effects are few, but the risk of respiratory depression is always present and observation in the intensive care unit or recovery for the first 24 h is strongly recommended.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Oct 1993
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialEfficacy of epidural blood patch for postdural puncture headache.
This prospective investigation was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different volumes of epidural blood patch (EBP) for treatment of postdural puncture headache (PDPH) in 81 consecutive patients. In the first part of the investigation (Study part I), 10 ml of blood was injected for EBP in 28 patients. In the second randomized part of the investigation (Study part II), the patients were allocated to receive for EBP either 10 ml (27 patients) or 10-15 ml (26 patients), according to the height of the patient. ⋯ There were no statistically significant differences between the groups. The results indicate that a larger, height-adjusted volume of blood for EBP in adults does not produce a better effect on PDPH compared to a standard 10-ml volume. Despite the excellent initial effect (91%) seen in our patients, a permanent effect of the blood patch was only achieved in 61%.