Intrathecal Morphine in Postoperative Analgesia for Colorectal Cancer Surgery: A Retrospective Study

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Surgical Oncology
• Pain Management

Background:

• Postoperative pain control is crucial for recovery after colorectal cancer surgery.
• Effective analgesia strategies are essential for optimizing patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of intrathecal morphine plus patient-controlled analgesia (ITM + PCA) versus patient-controlled analgesia alone (PCA) for pain management.
• To compare outcomes including pain scores, opioid consumption, sedation, and length of stay.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of clinical data from 2014-2018.
• Inclusion of 283 patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.
• Comparison of ITM + PCA (n=163) versus PCA alone (n=120), stratified by laparotomy and laparoscopy.

Main Results:

• ITM + PCA significantly reduced median opioid consumption in the first 24 hours for both laparotomy and laparoscopy.
• Pain scores were similar for laparotomy but lower for laparoscopy with ITM + PCA.
• Sedation incidence was lower at 24 hours with ITM + PCA, particularly in laparotomy cases.

Conclusions:

• ITM + PCA provides comparable analgesia to PCA alone for colorectal cancer surgery.
• This approach leads to reduced oral opioid consumption and decreased sedation.
• ITM + PCA is a viable option for postoperative pain management in these patients.