Comparison of morphine and fentanyl venous infusion for the treatment of acute pain in children

Objective: To explore the best regimens which relieve children’s acute pain. Methods: Forty children were allocated randomly to receive one of two analgesic regimens.All patients received a standard general anaesthesia. In group M the solution used consisted of morphine 700μg·kg^-1 diluted in 50ml of 0.9% saline. In group M+F the solution used consisted of morphine 450μg·kg^-1 and fentanyl 4.5μg·kg^-1 .The background infusion was commenced at rate of 1ml·h^-1 in both groups. The infusions were started in the recovery area using Korean Accufuser pump. We measured pain score and sedation score at point of 0h, 2h, 4h, 8h, 12h, 24h, 48h. And episodes of nausea and vomit were recorded.Results: There were no significant differences in pain score and sedation score between the groups at any point. But excessive sedation （a score of 2） occurred in one patient in Group M. There were also no statistic differences in the incidence of nausea and vomiting. Conclusion: Purely morphine （14μg·kg）^-1·h^-1 or morphine 9μg·kg^-1·h^-1 mixed with fentanyl 0.09μg·kg^-1·h^-1 continuous infusions are both effective on relieving children’s postoperative pain.