Articles: analgesia.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Feb 1992
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparison of epidural and intravenous opioid analgesia after elective caesarean section.
Patient acceptance is a particularly relevant method of assessing currently employed epidural and intravenous techniques of opioid analgesia after elective caesarean section. We have prospectively studied 71 such patients, randomised postoperatively to receive epidural morphine, intravenous morphine or intravenous pethidine. When compared with either intravenous opioid, epidural morphine provided twofold better average or excellent analgesia with 30% less drowsiness but with about 50% more pruritus. In spite of this troublesome complication, more patients (83% vs 74%) preferred epidural to intravenous opioid analgesia.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Feb 1992
Comparative StudyInter-ethnic differences in postoperative pethidine requirements.
A preliminary study of 24 hours' postoperative analgesia using a patient-controlled analgesia technique was undertaken in eight European and fourteen Asian adult patients. All patients had upper abdominal surgery and received weight-related doses of pethidine postoperatively via a Cardiff Palliator. ⋯ The Asian patients made 24% fewer demands for analgesia and had a smaller mean (SD) pethidine consumption, 7.62 (2.04) mg.kg-1, compared with the European patients, 9.97 (2.14) mg.kg-1, (P less than 0.05) during the first 24 hours. Further research is necessary to determine whether the smaller requirement for analgesia in Asian patients is a result of pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic differences.
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Fentanyl is commonly used as an adjunct to general anaesthesia for day-surgery procedures. We have prospectively studied the effect of this practice on postoperative analgesia in 304 day-surgery patients, 164 undergoing termination of pregnancy and 140 having various other minor gynaecological procedures. Approximately half the patients received fentanyl, the mean dose being 50 mcg. Fentanyl given during anaesthesia had no effect during recovery on analgesic requirements or on nausea or vomiting in either pregnant or non-pregnant patients.
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Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is a well-established technique for the relief of acute and chronic pain. It is widely used in Western hospitals. ⋯ The considerable potential difficulties in communication and education appear to have been overcome. The widespread introduction of PCA in all our hospitals would appear to be feasible.