[Comparison of various types of epidural analgesia after abdominal operations]

The authors compare three types of epidural analgesia using a mixture of 0.125% bupivacaine solution and morphine in 102 patients after abdominal surgery. Patient-controlled analgesia was applied in Group 1; the mixture was injected as a bolus in Group 2; continuous epidural infusion was used in Group 3. The findings have indicated that patient-controlled epidural analgesia can yield an adequate analgesia with smaller doses of local anesthetics and morphine reliably and in a shorter space of time and reduce the frequency of side effects associated with the opioid.