title: Single dose epidural morphine instead of patient-controlled epidural analgesia in the second day of cesarean section; an easy method for the pain relief of a new mother.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pain management has a particular importance after Cesarean section. This study was undertaken in order to document the efficacy and side-effects of epidural morphine instead of patient-controlled analgesia technique used for the control of post-cesarean pain during postoperative 24-48 hours.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed as a retrospective review of patient charts who had received combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia. Post-cesarean analgesia was performed with epidural technique either by using (Group 1) patient-controlled epidural analgesia for 48 hours, or (Group 2) patient-controlled epidural analgesia for the first 24 hours and then single dose of 3 mg epidural morphine for the second 24 hours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Incidences of side-effects were similar in both groups. None of the patients experienced respiratory depression. Additional analgesia was used on an as-required basis in nine of 39 (23%) patients in Group 1 and six of 39 (13%) in Group 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Small doses of epidural morphine provides up to 24 hours of pain relief from a single injection and could obviate the need for an indwelling epidural catheter on the second day of postcesarean section, thus reducing the potential for catheter-related complications.
authors.affiliation: Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Medical Faculty, Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Eskisehir, Turkey. aytbilir@yahoo.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bilir
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural; D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D009020:Morphine