A PATIENTS EXPERIENCE OF A NEW POSTOPERATIVE PATIENT-CONTROLLED ANALGESIC TECHNIQUE

A patient underwent major spinal surgery, twice within a 3 week period . On the first occasion his post-operative pain was managed by convent ional morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). After the second pr ocedure his pain was managed by a patient-controlled computer-assisted titration of alfentanil. This provided the opportunity to compare the efficacy of these two drug regimens in the same subject. The results showed comparable quality of analgesia and sedation and similar effect s on respiration. However, the patient expressed a preference for morp hine PCA.