Analgesia from morphine and ketamine. A comparison of infusions of morphine and ketamine for postoperative analgesia.
Ketamine 4 micrograms/kg/minute produced pain relief similar to that from morphine 33 micrograms/minute in a double-blind study that compared analgesia from constant-rate intravenous infusions of the two drugs in 60 patients. The analgesic efficacy of the infusions, as assessed by pain scores and the requirement for supplementary self-administered morphine, was poor. Ventilatory depression, the most significant side effect, occurred only in patients who received morphine infusion. The low dose ketamine infusion did not provide clinically useful analgesia even though adequate plasma concentrations were achieved.
Owen
H
H
University Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow.
Reekie
R M
RM
Clements
J A
JA
Watson
R
R
Nimmo
W S
WS
D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007649:Ketamine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects
D007649:Ketamine; D009020:Morphine