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. 1982 Feb;13(2):171–176. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1982.tb01352.x

A study of pethidine kinetics and analgesia in women in labour following intravenous, intramuscular and epidural administration.

R P Husemeyer, A J Cummings, J R Rosankiewicz, H T Davenport
PMCID: PMC1401985  PMID: 7059414

Abstract

1 Epidural administration of opiates for analgesia has recently generated widespread interest and would theoretically be advantageous as a method for relief of pain in labour. 2 Plasma pethidine concentrations were measured after intravenous, intramuscular and epidural administration of pethidine to women in labour and after epidural administration to non-pregnant female surgical patients. 3 Kinetic parameters were derived from the plasma concentration data in each group of subjects and the relationship between plasma kinetics and analgesia in labour were examined. 4 Absorption of pethidine from the epidural space in pregnant women in rapid and excepting the lower initial values, the average plasma concentration and area under the plasma concentration v time curve did not differ significantly (P less than 0.01) from those obtained with intravenous dosage, but were significantly higher (P less than 0.01) during the first 2 h after dosage than the results after intramuscular administration. The analgesia provided by the epidural route of administration was greater than with intravenous or intramuscular administration. 5 It is postulated that the analgesic efficacy of epidural pethidine in women in labour is due to a combination of systemic and local effects and that the local effect is attributable to the local anaesthetic properties of pethidine rather than a selective anti-nociceptive action on the spinal cord.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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