J Korean Pain Soc.
1988 Jun;1(1):53-58.
An Analysis of Nerve Block for Cancer Pain Patients
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea.
Abstract
- We have treated patients who have visited pain clinic and those admitted to the other departments of Pusan National University Hospital from Mar. 1987 to Feb. 1988 with complaints of severe cancer pain on both upper and lower abdomen and extremities by continuous administration of a very small amount of morphine in the lumbar subarachnoid (group I ) and epidural (group II) space in 10 cases respectively. The results of analgesia obtained are as follows: 1. The average duration in onset of analgesia was 8 mins. in group I and 23 mins. in group II. 2. The average duration in maintaining analgesia was 12.4 hrs. in group I and 18.4 hrs. in group II. 3. The efficiency of analgesia in group I was excellent in 5, good in 4, and null in 1, and group II was excellent in 5, good in 2, and moderate in 3. 4. The degree of tolerance in group I was rather mild comparable to that of pain score 4 till the 22nd. day of morphine administration. 5. The complications are: 2 of respiratory distress in group J, 2 of voiding difficulties in both group I and II, 1 of itching sensation in both group I and II, 1 of euphoria with hallucination in group I, and 1 of C.S.F. leakage in group II. As results, it is thought that epidural administration is safer than subarachnoid administration in achieving analgesia with morphine among patients with malignant pain if the problem of tolerance is solved.
