[Continuous epidural buprenorphine for postoperative pain relief in patients after lower abdominal surgery].
Postoperative analgesia with epidurally injected buprenorphine and its side effects were investigated in 100 patients who had received lower abdominal surgery. All patients received initially 8 ml of bupivacaine and 0.1 mg of buprenorphine. Following bolus epidural injection, five different groups of 20 patients each received either bupivacaine alone (group A), 5 micrograms.ml-1 buprenorphine.bupivacaine mixture (group B), 8 micrograms.ml-1 buprenorphine.bupivacaine mixture (group C), 12 micrograms.ml-1 buprenorphine.bupivacaine mixture (group D), or 15 micrograms.ml-1 buprenorphine.bupivacaine mixture (group E) by a portable disposable device at a rate of 1 ml.h-1 for 48 h. The analgesic efficacy in group E was superior to those in groups A, B, C or D. No significant difference in the incidence of side-effect was found among groups C, D, E. We conclude that a dose of a approximately 15 micrograms.h-1 might be optimal for postoperative pain relief after lower abdominal surgery.
Hirabayashi
Y
Y
Department of Anesthesiology, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi.
Mitsuhata
H
H
Shimizu
R
R
Saitoh
J
J
Saitoh
K
K
Fukuda
H
H
D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced
D002047:Buprenorphine; D002045:Bupivacaine