Postoperative pain relief with high‐dose epidural buprenorphine: a double‐blind study

Forty-five patients scheduled for major abdominal or intrathoracic surgery were assigned at random to two different groups. One group received 0.3 mg and the other 0.9 mg of buprenorphine epidurally to abolish postoperative pain. The first dose was given immediately upon arrival in the ICU, irrespective of pain. Subsequent medication was given on demand. The duration of action and side-effects were recorded. Both doses produced excellent and long-lasting pain relief, but no statistically significant difference was found between the groups, with regard to either the duration of action or the occurrence of side-effects.