ABSTRACT
The present study was conducted to examine the efficacy of tramadol injected epidurally at the end of surgery in releive of post operative pain. Of those patients who underwent surgery under epidural anaesthesia, 150 patients were included. At the end of surgery, 50 mg. tramadol was injected through the epidural catheter. Fifty four [36%] patients did not require any other analgesia in the first 24 hours of the post operative period. Ninety six [64%] patients required analgesia after an average postoperative time of 10 hours. Side effects were limited and included; nausea, vomiting, dizziness, dryness of mouth and urinary retension. None of the patients developed clinically significant respiratory depression. In conclusion, epidural adminstration of tramadol is an efficient and safe method for control of postoperative pain and should be considered especially in patients undergoing epidural anesthesia