POSTOPERATIVE MORPHINE USE IN ABDOMINAL SURGERY: CLINICAL INSIGHTS FROM A ONE-YEAR SINGLE-CENTER RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Effective postoperative pain management is essential in abdominal surgery. Morphine remains a cornerstone opioid analgesic, yet variability in dosing and its clinical implications warrant further evaluation.

To evaluate postoperative morphine, use in patients undergoing abdominal surgery over a one-year period, with emphasis on dose distribution, patient characteristics, underlying diagnoses, surgical procedures, and hospital length of stay (LOS).

This retrospective single-center study included adult patients undergoing abdominal surgery who received postoperative morphine. Data on demographics, diagnoses, surgical procedures, morphine dose and route of administration, and LOS were extracted from medical records. Morphine dosing was individualized according to clinical judgment. Continuous variables are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD) or median with interquartile range (IQR).

The cohort comprised 39 patients (24 females, 61.5%) with a mean age of 46.7±18.5 years. Bariatric surgery for obesity was the most common procedure (n 22). Morphine doses ranged from 4-10 mg per administration, predominantly given subcutaneously, with a median dose of 6 mg (IQR 5-7 mg); 5 mg was the most frequently administered dose. Higher doses were more commonly observed in oncologic cases. The overall median hospital length of stay (LOS) was 3 days and differed by surgical approach, with a median of 3 days after laparoscopic procedures and 7 days after open surgery. Adverse events were infrequent and mainly included postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), while no cases of respiratory depression were recorded.

Morphine remains a widely used option for postoperative analgesia in abdominal surgery and, in this cohort, was predominantly administered subcutaneously with individualized dosing. Dose variability appears influenced by patient and procedural factors. Although minimally invasive procedures were associated with shorter hospital stays, this observation should be interpreted cautiously due to differences in underlying diagnoses and surgical complexity. Larger prospective studies are needed to further optimize postoperative opioid use.