title: Towards painless orthopaedic surgery.
abstract: Almost one thousand patients underwent either total hip replacement or spinal surgery in which diamorphine 0.5-1.0 mg was injected intrathecally. Approximately one half of the arthroplasty patients and one third of the spinal patients required no other post-operative analgesia. In the remainder, analgesics were not required for 12 hours post-operatively. The benefits of the technique and possible complications are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D003932:Heroin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000601:surgery*; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D007796:Laminectomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003932:Heroin