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Effects of Low‐Dose Morphine on Gastric Emptying in Healthy Volunteers
Author(s) -
Yuan ChunSu,
Foss Joseph F.,
O'Connor Michael,
Roizen Michael F.,
Moss Jonathan
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
the journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.92
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1552-4604
pISSN - 0091-2700
DOI - 10.1177/009127009803801105
Subject(s) - gastric emptying , medicine , morphine , acetaminophen , anesthesia , placebo , ambulatory , stomach , gastroenterology , alternative medicine , pathology
Appropriate preoperative pain therapy for patients undergoing surgery may be withheld due to the fear that opioids will inhibit gastric emptying and increase the risk of aspiration. Previously, doses of 5 to 10 mg of morphine have been shown to delay gastric emptying time. However, the effect of lower doses of morphine on gastric emptying in humans has not been reported. In this study, the effects of intravenous morphine 0.05 mg/kg—3.5 mg for 70‐kg body weight, a dose that can cause analgesia—on gastric emptying were evaluated in a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study in 15 healthy human volunteers using the acetaminophen test. Our data indicated that this low dose of morphine significantly prolonged the gastric emptying time. Thus, even small doses of morphine inhibit gastric emptying. This effect may be important in patients undergoing surgery, in patients receiving other oral medications after surgery in ambulatory settings, and in instances of patient‐controlled analgesia.