Hypoxia and Increased Sensitivity to Opiates

Researchers from the Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology at McGill University, Montreal, sought to confirm the findings of a retrospective study they reported in 2004 that suggested younger children with recurrent hypoxia require less opioids for postoperative analgesia.¹ The current prospective, randomized, partially blinded study was designed to confirm a reduced postoperative opiate requirement in children with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and to test the effectiveness of a dosing regimen derived from their retrospective data.

The authors enrolled 22 children (age range 1.5–10 years) with OSA (diagnosed by nocturnal oximetry or a cardiorespiratory study) who were scheduled to undergo tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Intraoperative care was standardized for all patients. Postoperatively, the children were given intravenous morphine every 7 minutes until they achieved a …