South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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A 2-day study to assess the safety and efficacy of a combination analgesic, Stopayne (Rio Ethicals), was conducted in 23 postoperative plastic surgery patients with pain of moderate to severe intensity. Statistically significant pain relief was attained, with 2 (9%) patients reporting complete relief 1 hour after taking the tablets and 19 (82%) reporting satisfactory relief (P less than 0.01). ⋯ The average time taken for analgesia to occur was 37.7 min and it lasted an average of 3.8 h. On being woken by pain 18 (78%) patients reported that they were able to sleep again after taking the study drug; 19 patients reported that the tablets helped them to fall asleep.
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Previous erratic use of intermittent intramuscular and intravenous morphine or pethidine for postoperative analgesia prompted a prospective trial of continuous intravenous morphine delivered by an infusion pump. The rate was adjusted to keep the patient free of pain--as assessed by observation in the infant and enquiry in the older child. ⋯ The results of a cohort of 20 patients (aged 3 months-12 years) are presented. Thanks to positive parental and nursing staff support, and absence of complications, administration of postoperative analgesia with continuous intravenous morphine infusion is now standard practice in this unit.
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Two unusual cases of congenital scoliosis with distematomyelia, without median septa and with single dural sacs, are described. Both cases were neurologically intact without any stigmata of diastematomyelia in the lower extremities. Computed tomographic myelography added valuable information to the radiological anatomy.