EPIDURAL PETHIDINE - PHARMACOLOGY AND CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE

Pethidine is an effective epidural opioid for the treatment of acute p ain. Its use has been well described in Australian and New Zealand pra ctice, particularly in the field of obstetric anaesthesia. Reported me thods of delivery have included bolus injection, continuous infusion a nd patient-controlled epidural analgesia. Areas of application have in cluded treatment of postoperative pain, labour pain and intraoperative pain. Because of its intermediate lipid solubility, pethidine may hav e advantages over many other epidural opioids. However; potential for accumulation of norpethidine limits its use to relatively short durati ons of treatment.