title: Respiratory depression after morphine in the elderly. A comparison with younger subjects.
abstract: The effects of intravenous morphine (10 mg/70 kg) on the ventilatory response to CO2 were studied in two groups of subjects, young (18-29 years) and old (66-85 years), prior to elective surgery. In both groups morphine caused a significant depression of respiration as judged by a reduction in the slope of the CO2 response curve, a reduction in the calculated ventilation at an end tidal CO2 tension of 7.3 kPa, a rise in resting end tidal CO2 and a rise in the CO2 threshold. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the changes produced by the drug, suggesting that acute respiratory depression after a single intravenous injection of morphine is similar in old and young people.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000502:physiology; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D009020:Morphine