J Reprod Med
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Comparison of patient-controlled analgesia and epidural morphine for postcesarean pain and recovery.
A greater awareness of the advantages and limitations of new methods of administering postcesarean analgesia would help the obstetrician care for the recovering patient. Patient-controlled analgesia and epidural morphine are two new modalities for postoperative pain relief. The purpose of this prospective investigation was to compare their effectiveness, safety, side effects, patient satisfaction and cost. ⋯ No complications were encountered with patient-controlled analgesia, but pruritus and alarms from apnea monitors occurred commonly in the epidural morphine group. The costs to the patient were similar for the two groups. Patient-controlled analgesia using a combined continuous infusion and demand dosing is an acceptable alternative to epidural morphine after cesarean delivery.