[Functional respiratory repercussion in opened subcostal cholecystectomy: analgesic effect of morphine]

To evaluate pulmonary function after open subcostal cholecystecomy under action of the morphine in the immediate post-operative.

This was a prospective study, in which the post-operative spirometries of fifteen patients who underwent open subcostal cholecystectomies which received peridural morphine anesthesia. Post- and pre-operative data were compared using a paired student-t test. A value of p < 0,05 was considered statistically significant.

Significant differences existed for the Forced Vital Capacity variable (p = 0,007) and Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (p = 0,008) between pre- and immediate post-operative, indicating restrictive ventilatory disturbances. All of the patients presented normal espirometries in the third day of post-operative.

Even under action morphine peridural analgesia, in the immediate post-operative, light restrictive post-cholecystectomy ventilatory disturbances were observed. However, it was observed abbreviated recovery of pulmonary function, which may lower post-operative pulmonary morbidity.