Blood Morphine Concentration Research Articles

Influence of epinephrine as an adjuvant to epidural morphine.

The effects of epinephrine 1/200,000 as an adjuvant to epidural morphine were investigated in three healthy male volunteers, during 26-h observation sessions. Peak blood concentrations of morphine were 44 +/- 12.9 ng/ml after plain morphine and 13.7 +/- 6.7 ng/ml after epinephrine-morphine. Cutaneous hypalgesia was more intense, faster in onset, and longer in duration after epinephrine-morphine than after plain morphine, and analgesia to ice-water immersion of extremities lasted longer. Adverse side effects of pruritus, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty of micturition were also more intense after epinephrine-morphine, and respiratory sensitivity to CO2 was depressed more severely between 6 and 16 h. The results indicated that epinephrine 1/200,000 reduces vascular absorption of epidural morphine and intensifies all the manifestations of cord and brainstem uptake.

Death from Intravenously Administered Narcotics: A Study of 114 Cases

A careful study of more than 100 fatal cases due to intravenously administered narcotics provides further evidence of the complexity involved in the certification of death. The wide range of blood morphine concentrations found in these cases indicates that tissue concentrations alone will not always provide the necessary information. High concentrations of morphine, the major metabolite of heroin, in blood and other tissues may be consistent with overdose. But in those cases involving very low concentrations at the time of death, other criteria must be considered.

Morphine concentrations in blood and organs in cases of fatal poisoning

A method for the identification and quantitative determination of morphine in blood, muscle and other organs has been developed. In 14 cases of fatal poisoning, 10 of which were due to morphine taken intravenously, we found morphine concentrations in blood and muscle ranging from 0.2 to 2.8 μg/g. The minimum lethal concentrationsfound were 0.2–0.3 μg morphine per g of blood or muscle. In cases of morphine addition much higher concentrations were found.

DISPOSITION OF MORPHINE IN MAN

The disposition of morphine was investigated by means of radioimmunoassay after a single intravenous dose (10 milligrams per 70 kilograms) was administered to 10 adult normal male subjects who had not received other drugs for 2 weeks preceding the study. A multiphasic decline in serum concentrations of morphine occurred. Detectable blood concentrations of morphine, or of a metabolite, or of both persisted for 48 hours after a single intravenous dose.

Disposition of morphine in man.

The disposition of morphine was investigated by means of radioimmunoassay after a single intravenous dose (10 milligrams per 70 kilograms) was administered to 10 adult normal male subjects who had not received other drugs for 2 weeks preceding the study. A multiphasic decline in serum concentrations of morphine occurred. Detectable blood concentrations of morphine, or of a metabolite, or of both persisted for 48 hours after a single intravenous dose.