Perioperative Opiatanalgesie

22 patients undergoing gynaecological surgery were given general anaesthesia supplemented by epidural morphine during and after the operation. The fentanyl requirements during the operation were significantly lower than they were in a control group and postoperative administration of analgesics could be dispensed with. The method is particularly suitable for patients at risk because less anaesthetic agents are needed. Postoperative epidural opiate analgesia is also useful after epidural anaesthesia; doses of 3.0 mg of morphine produced no side-effects except pruritus.