[Peridural morphine administration for postoperative analgesia on the general medical unit]

With the present study the risk of postoperative peridural analgesia with morphine on ordinary wards should be estimated. 50 patients undergoing gynecological laparotomies received 3 mg morphine by a peridural catheter for postoperative pain relief. The degree of postoperative pain was objectivated by a visual analogue scoring system (1-10). Mean duration of analgesia was 11 hours. The pain score ranged between 1 and 3. The acceptance was very well. Heart rate and mean arterial pressure remained stable. Blood gas analyses showed a slight increase of the pCO2 with no clinical importance. The advantages of epidural morphine are: low dose, long duration, lack of sedation and the discharge of nurses. Experienced anesthesiologists visited all patients once a day. The nurses are educated to recognize complications.