Korean J Anesthesiol.  2000 May;38(5):845-853. 10.4097/kjae.2000.38.5.845.

The Effect of Morphine on Pain and Bowel Function after Colonic Surgery:Epidural Bupivacaine-morphine Versus Intravenous Patient-controlled Analgesia with Morphine

• Kim JH
• Kim KH

• KMID: 1936299
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2000.38.5.845

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Gastrointestinal paralysis after abdominal surgery has long troubled both patients and surgeons. Gastrointestinal side effects still constitute a major drawback in the acute use of opioids. Choice of postoperative analgesia may affect the rate of recovery of gastrointestinal function. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of intravenous and epidural morphine on recovery of bowel function and pain by measuring intestinal motility and the visual analogue scale after colon surgery.
METHODS
Twenty patients undergoing colon surgery used postoperative pain contol. Patients were allocated to receive either IV PCA (patient-controlled analgesia) with morphine or CEA (continuous epidural analgesia) with 0.1% bupivacaine-0.04% morphine. Patients were assessed for pain with a visual analogue scale, and for side effects at 1, 6, 12, 24, 48 hours postoperatively. Arterial blood samples for the measurement of blood gas and plasma concentration of morphine were taken. The time to first postoperative passage of flatus and feces, length of nasogastric therapy, time to liquid, soft and solid food intake, daily and total morphine requirement and length of hospital stay were recorded.
RESULTS
There were no significant differences in bowel movement outcome except in length of nasogastric therapy, but the CEA group had significantly lower pain scores and required fewer days of nasogastric therapy when compared with the IV PCA group.
CONCLUSIONS
These observations indicate that IV PCA with morphine and CEA can be used to relieve postoperative pain without prolonging the recovery of bowel movements, but CEA with bupivacaine and morphine constitutes an effective means of analgesia.

Keyword

Analgesia: epidural; patient-controlled; postoperative; Analgesics: morphine; Anesthetics, local: bupivacaine; Complications: gastrointestinal; postoperative; Gastrointestinal tract: bowel motility; Surgery: abdominal, colon

MeSH Terms

Analgesia
Analgesia, Patient-Controlled*
Analgesics, Opioid
Bupivacaine
Colon*
Eating
Feces
Flatulence
Gastrointestinal Motility
Humans
Length of Stay
Morphine*
Pain, Postoperative
Paralysis
Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis
Plasma
Analgesics, Opioid
Bupivacaine
Morphine