[The effect of prolonged morphine epidural analgesia on the clinical course and size of the necrotic area in patients with an acute myocardial infarct].

The effect of conventional and prolonged epidural analgesia (PEA) with morphine on the clinical course and the size of the focus of necrosis was studied and compared in 60 patients with acute myocardial infarction. In the basic group (n = 30), analgesia was carried out for 7 days with the aid of PEA. In the control group (n = 30), analgesia was performed by intravenous injection of morphine. In both the groups, the clinical course ant the size of the focus of myocardial necrosis were estimated (precordial cartography and detection of creatine phosphokinase made in series). PEA was established to bring about complete analgesia rapidly and safely, which in turn favours noticeable limitation of the focus of necrosis and amelioration of the clinical course of acute myocardial infarction. The effect produced by PEA was considerably higher in all the parameters as compared to that attained with conventional analgesia.