CJA
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a scholarly reply
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by ROBINSON, R.J. S.
Right arrow Articles by METCALF, I. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by ROBINSON, R.J. S.
Right arrow Articles by METCALF, I. R.

Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 32, 658-660, Copyright © 1985 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

Hypertension after Epidural Meperidine

R.J. S. ROBINSON MB BCH FRCP(C)1 and I. R. METCALF MB BS FFARACS FRCP(C)1

1 Department of Anaesthesia, the Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec

Address correspondence to: Dr. R.J.S. Robinson, Department of Anaesthesia, The Montreal General Hospital, 1650Cedar Avenue, Montreal, P.Q. H3G 1A4.

The use of epidural opiates, unlike the use of epidural local anaesthetics, is considered to have little, if any, effect on the cardiovascular system. A 76-year-old man with a flail chest injury was given a lumber epidural injection of meperidine. During the injection he suddenly complained of feeling cold, shivered vigorously and became tachypneic. His arterial blood pressure rose from 170/70 to 300/110; his pulse rate rose to 150/min. The patient was severely hypertensive for 40 minutes until treated with intravenous phentolamine. There is increasing evidence in the literature implicating the involvement of endogenous opiates in the central control mechanisms of blood pressure control.

Key Words: ANALGESICS: meperidine, epidural • COMPLICATIONS: hypertension






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1985 by the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.