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World J Anesthesiol. Nov 27, 2014; 3(3): 191-202
Published online Nov 27, 2014. doi: 10.5313/wja.v3.i3.191
Published online Nov 27, 2014. doi: 10.5313/wja.v3.i3.191
Intrathecal morphine for postoperative analgesia: Current trends
Kalindi A DeSousa, Rajkumar Chandran, Department of Anaesthesia and SICU, Changi General Hospital, Singapore 529889, Singapore
Author contributions: DeSousa KA and Chandran R equally contributed to this article.
Correspondence to: Kalindi A DeSousa, FFARCSI, MD, DA, Senior Consultant, Department of Anaesthesia and SICU, Changi General Hospital, 2 Semei Street 3, Singapore 529889, Singapore. kalindidesousa@gmail.com
Telephone: +65-98176186 Fax: +65-67880933
Received: January 27, 2014
Revised: March 31, 2014
Accepted: July 12, 2014
Published online: November 27, 2014
Revised: March 31, 2014
Accepted: July 12, 2014
Published online: November 27, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Intrathecal (IT) morphine for postoperative pain relief is being used for over 100 years but till today there are no clear guidelines or fixed dose regimes for its use. After an extensive review of the literature, we conclude that: (1) IT morphine is very useful yet cost-effective and reliable albeit with some risk of serious effects; (2) After IT morphine administration, mandatory monitoring for respiration, oxygenation and sedation should be done for the first 24 h; and (3) Further studies are required to determine the exact dose on the basis of body weight for IT administration of morphine.