title: Subhypnotic doses of propofol relieve pruritus induced by epidural and intrathecal morphine.
abstract: We investigated the efficacy of subhypnotic doses of propofol for spinal morphine-induced pruritus in a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Fifty patients, ASA physical status 1-3, with spinal morphine-induced pruritus were allocated to receive either 1 ml propofol (10 mg) or 1 ml placebo (Intralipid) intravenously after gynecologic, orthopedic, thoracic, or gastrointestinal surgery. In the absence of a positive response, a second drug treatment was given 5 min later. The persistence of pruritus 5 min after the second treatment dose was considered a treatment failure. All failures then received, in an open fashion, a supplementary dose of propofol (10 mg) and were reevaluated 5 min later. Both groups were well matched. The success rate was significantly greater in the propofol group (84%) than in the placebo (16%) group (P less than 0.05). Ninety percent of the treatment failures in the placebo group were successfully treated by a supplementary dose of 10 mg propofol. Eight percent of the patients (4% in each group) were resistant to all treatments, including naloxone 0.08 mg intravenously. Three patients had a slight increase in sedation in the propofol group versus none in control (not significant). The beneficial effect of treatment was longer than 60 min in 85% of patients in the propofol group and in 100% of the controls (not significant). These results suggest that propofol in a subhypnotic dose is an efficient drug treatment for spinal morphine-induced pruritus. At the dose administered (10 mg), side effects were rare and minor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borgeat
authors.forename: O H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Wilder-Smith
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saiah
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rifat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007268:Injections, Epidural; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015742:Propofol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011537:Pruritus / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D009020:Morphine; D015742:Propofol