title: Systemic morphine enhances spread of sensory analgesia during postoperative epidural bupivacaine infusion.
abstract: Eight patients undergoing abdominal surgery received epidural analgesia with 0.5% plain bupivacaine at a fixed dose rate (8 ml/h) for postoperative pain relief. Mean sensory level of analgesia (pin prick) was assessed hourly and regressed from a mean preoperative level of T3.7 (+/- 0.3 SEM) to T10 (+/- 0.7) at an average of 8.9 +/- 1.4 h post skin incision (range 4-16 h). Simultaneously, pain scores (4-point scale) increased from zero to 2.1 +/- 0.2. When analgesia regressed greater than or equal to 5 segments, administration of 10 mg morphine intravenously led to a pronounced cephalad increase in sensory analgesia; the initial level of analgesia was achieved in every case despite unchanged bupivacaine infusion. Simultaneously, pain score decreased to 0.3 +/- 0.3. This synergistic effect of systemic morphine on the extent of neural blockade with epidural bupivacaine may have an important role in improving postoperative pain relief.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mogensen
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Hjortsø
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kehlet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000698:Analgesia; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D009020:Morphine; D002045:Bupivacaine