Paediatric postoperative analgesia. A comparison of rectal diclofenac with caudal bupivacaine after inguinal herniotomy.

Forty-three children for day case inguinal herniotomy under general anaesthesia were assigned randomly to receive either 1 ml/kg caudal bupivacaine 0.25% or rectal diclofenac 0.25 mg/kg intra-operatively to provide postoperative analgesia. Pain and demeanour were assessed by an observer in the early postoperative period after operation and by questionnaire for the parents over the first 24 hours. Caudal bupivacaine provided more pain-free patients at first but later the incidence of pain was similar in the two treatment groups. Rectal diclofenac is a useful alternative to caudal blockade in this group of patients.

Analgesia-induced respiratory depression: comparison of meptazinol and morphine in the postoperative period.

Forty-nine patients undergoing elective total hip replacement received either morphine or meptazinol for postoperative analgesia from a patient-controlled analgesia apparatus. Ventilatory rate and volume and arterial oxyhaemoglobin saturation were recorded continuously for the first 24 h following surgery. Episodic hypoxaemia was seen in both groups, associated with disturbances in ventilatory pattern. There was no significant difference in the incidence or severity of observed hypoxia between the groups, or with respect to the class of ventilatory disturbance. Mean linear analogue scores for pain and nausea were significantly (P less than 0.05) greater in the meptazinol group than in the morphine group 8 h after operation, but did not differ significantly at any other time. The mean number of demands for analgesic drugs was similar in the two groups. The meptazinol group had a greater requirement for anti-emetic drugs than the morphine group (P less than 0.05). It was concluded that meptazinol and morphine in equianalgesic doses had similar effects on ventilation in the postoperative period.

Double-blind comparison of the efficacy and safety of single doses of meptazinol as a suppository and morphine by i.m. injection.

The analgesic efficacy of a 150-mg meptazinol suppository was compared with that of morphine 10 mg i.m. in the treatment of moderate postoperative pain. Two groups of 15 female patients took part in a 4-h, randomized double-blind, double-dummy study on the first day after elective abdominal hysterectomy. Meptazinol did not provide satisfactory analgesia in five patients (P less than 0.05). A decrease in mean pain scores (linear analogue scale and verbal rating scale) was seen after the administration of meptazinol, but this was not as great as that produced by morphine i.m., nor was it as long in duration. Significant changes in arterial pressure, heart rate and ventilatory rates were not seen in association with the administration of meptazinol, but were observed after the administration of morphine.