Efficacy of low-dose intrathecal morphine for postoperative analgesia after abdominal aortic surgery: a double-blind randomized study.

Background And Objectives: Several studies suggest that intrathecal morphine (ITM) improves analgesia after aortic surgery. We tested the hypothesis that in combination with multimodal postoperative pain management, low-dose ITM associated with general anesthesia would decrease postoperative analgesic requirements in patients undergoing abdominal aortic surgery.

Methods: Thirty patients were randomized to receive either general anesthesia alone or preceded by low-dose ITM (0.