A comparison of patient-controlled epidural analgesia following gynaecological surgery with and without a background infusion

✍ Scribed by K. Wong; J. L. Chong; W. K. Lo; A. T. H. Sia

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 107 KB
• Volume: 55
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2409
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2044.2000.01204.x

✦ Synopsis

We conducted a randomised, controlled study to investigate the effect of adding a background infusion to patient‐controlled epidural analgesia for postoperative pain relief. Forty‐two patients scheduled for elective lower abdominal gynaecological surgery received patient‐controlled epidural analgesia postoperatively using a mixture of 0.2% ropivacaine and 2.0 __μ__g.ml^−1^ fentanyl. Patients in group B (n = 20) were given a background infusion of 5 ml.h^−1^, whereas those in group N (n = 21) were not. There was no difference in pain scores or patient satisfaction scores between the two groups. Patients in group B had a higher total drug consumption (156.8 ± 34.8 ml vs. 89.5 ± 41.0 ml; p < 0.0001) and incidence of side‐effects (71.4% vs. 30.0%; p = 0.007). Motor blockade during the 24‐h study period was also greater in group B (median [range] area under the curve 7.5 [0.0–39.0] h vs. 3.0 [0.0–36.0] h; p = 0.035). We conclude that the addition of a background infusion to patient‐controlled epidural anaesthesia is not recommended as it confers no additional benefits.