Anaesthesia
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Postoperative analgesia for Caesarean section using epidural methadone.
A prospective randomised double blind study was carried out to compare the use of epidural methadone, morphine and bupivacaine for pain relief after Caesarean section. The results indicate that methadone is the most effective agent with few side effects. Subsequently this method was used routinely for postoperative analgesia in all patients undergoing Caesarean section. A retrospective study of 178 patients having this method of analgesia was carried out and indicated that epidural methadone is an effective and safe method of postoperative pain relief.
-
The use of cutaneous liquid crystal thermometry (EZ Temp) as an estimate of core temperature during routine surgery was investigated in 20 patients. Seventeen per cent of the recordings made with the EZ Temp were more than 1 degree C different from oesophageal temperature. There was a poor correlation between EZ Temp values and both oesophageal and aural temperatures (r = 0.54 for both sites). We conclude that liquid crystal thermometry of the forehead is not sufficiently accurate to be used as an indicator of core temperature during routine surgery.