Codeine in post-operative pain. Study of the influence of sparteine phenotype and serum concentrations of morphine and morphine-6-glucuronide.

Objective: Within the past decade, human experimental pain studies have supported the 50-year-old hypothesis that codeine is a prodrug, which has to be converted to morphine to exert an analgesic effect. This study aimed at evaluating the impact of sparteine phenotype and serum concentrations of morphine on the efficacy of codeine in post-operative pain.

Methods: Eighty-one patients with a pain rating of 3 or more on a 0-10 numerical rating scale 0.

[Stomach rupture after nasal oxygen therapy].

A 69-year-old male developed a spontaneous rupture of the normal stomach during oxygen administration via a nasopharyngeal catheter. The clinical picture and treatment is discussed.

[Retroperitoneal complications after lumbar disk prolapse surgery].

Injury to retroperitoneal vascular structures secondary to lumbar disc surgery is a rare but serious complication. In some cases early recognition and surgical intervention is of vital importance. Vascular injuries may be classified in in the following manner.

Myocardial effects of adrenaline, isoprenaline and dobutamine at hypothermic conditions.

The pharmacodynamic myocardial effects of adrenaline, isoprenaline and dobutamine were studied in isolated, perfused and spontaneously beating rabbit hearts at hypothermic conditions. Cardiac contraction amplitude increased from the control value at 37 degrees set equal to 100% to about 165% at 22 degrees, whereas contraction velocity decreased to 52%, frequency to 30% and oxygen consumption to about 19%. At 22 degrees all drugs produced pronounced positive inotropic and chronotropic effects.