[Intraoperative peridural opiate analgesia (author's transl)]

Epidural injection of small doses of opiates causes a reduction of pain in the lower parts of the body. The use of epidural opiate-analgesia for surgical anesthesia, combined with controlled ventilation (oxygen-nitrous oxide), was investigated in 170 patients undergoing surgery, especially long lasting gynaecological operations. Haemodynamic monitoring demonstrated a constant cardiovascular situation, underlining the sufficiency of analgesia. Blood gas analyses for one hour after the operation revealed no signs of respiratory depression. The epidural opiate-analgesia outlasted the intraoperative period, covering even the postoperative phase.