Clinical experience with epidural morphine

Epidural analgesia with morphine sulphate was administered to 130 patients. Of 96 patients with postoperative pain, 74 experienced good analgesia, 14 obtained a fair degree of pain relief, and in eight the method was unsatisfactory. Of the 34 non-operated patients 30 had good pain relief and the method failed in one. The most common cause of failure of analgesia was an incorrectly placed epidural catheter. Urinary difficulties and pruritus were encountered as the principal side-effects. One patient suffered depression of the level of consciousness following epidural drug administration and in one, epidural opiate appears to have contributed to hypotension.