Comparison of Side Effects of Morphine and Hydromorphone Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA)

The Comparison of Morphine and Hydromorphone Patient-Controlled Analgesia

Both morphine and hydromorphone are pain medications commonly used after surgery. It is thought at the institution that hydromorphone causes less side effects but this has not been studied. The study proposes to treat the patients with either morphine or hydromorphone and determine how much nausea, vomiting, and itching they have with each drug

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients scheduled for abdominal surgery requiring post-operative PCA
• ASA = I or II

Exclusion Criteria:

• preoperative pain or use of pain medication
• narcotic allergy
• morbid obesity (Body Mass Index > 30)
• diagnosis of sleep apnea
• hepatic or renal disease
• use of medications that would affect narcotic pharmacodynamics
• preoperative nausea, vomiting, or pruritis
• diagnosis of alcoholism