Epidural Morphine for Postoperative Pain Relief

Thirty-three patients were randomly assigned to two groups to study the analgesic potency, duration of action and side effects of epidural and intramuscular morphine after hip surgery. Two milligrams of preservative-free morphine chloride in 10 ml of normal saline in the epidural space was compared to 10 mg of intramuscularly administered morphine. There was a more rapid onset of action after intramuscular morphine. However, the quality of pain relief was substantially higher and the duration of action markedly longer after epidural morphine. The total dose required in the epidural group was 3.6 mg and in the intramuscular group 41 mg during the 15-h observation period. The side effects of epidural morphine were few and mild, the most embarrassing being urinary retention (20 %). Nausea and/or vomiting was less common after epidural morphine (20% versus 55%). Pruritus or respiratory depression which have been reported previously were not encountered. However, it is recommended that preservative-free solutions are used to avoid itching and that the patients are monitored, as respiratory depression may occur long after administration of epidural opiate.