A double blind placebo-controlled study on the rectal administration of morphine as a premedication in abdominal hysterectomy

Abstract Benzodiazepines are now commonly used as anxiolytic premedication prior to surgery. However, the role of opioids, as a premedication, has diminished over the last decades and they are no longer routinely used for premedication. Rather, opioids are generally used to treat severe pain in the postoperative period. Studies have shown that both NSAIDs and opioids improve analgesia in the early postoperative period. Until now, there have been no studies investigating the effect of morphine as a rectal premedication in adults in combination with blood levels of morphine. The effect of a rectal premedication with 30 mg of morphine sulphate, on postoperative pain levels and opioid consumpti…