Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 7/8/2009

Question
I work in an OR department and our anesthesia providers like to use duramorph with spinals for pain control. How long do you recommend the patient is monitored in PACU before they are ready to go to a med/surg floor?

Answer
Duramorph can cause respiratory depression for 8-24 hours post surgery. Obviously you can't keep a patient in the PACU that long but wheever they go, they need to be monitored fo up to 24 hours post injection.


Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMb-Galveston