The comparison of analgesic efficacy of intravenous morphine infusion and transdermal fentanyl in oncology patients with oral mucositis

ABSTRACTThe Comparison Of Analgesic Efficacy Of Intravenous Morphine İnfusion AndTransdermal Fentanyl In Oncology Patients With Oral Mucositis.In this study, we aimed to compare analgesic efficacy and potential of adversereactions of intravenous morphine infusion and transdermal fentanyl using in oncologicpatients, having oral mucositis. After approval informed consent of patients and EthicalCommittee, thirty adult patients from oncology who had developed oral mucositisduring or after chemotherapy and radiotherapy were included in the study. Patients weredivided into 2 groups randomly. The patients in group I (n:15) and group II (n:15)received intravenous morphine infusion (15 µg/kg/hour) and transdermal fentanyl in adosage of equivalent to morphine, respectively.Pain was evaluated with Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and sedation wasassessed using by 5 point sedation test. Adverse reactions were noted.No difference was detected in age, sex, weight, height, and body mass index ofpatients between the groups (p>0,05). Dispersion of the patients in both groups weresimilar regarding the stage of disease and chemotherapy and radiotherapy performance.No difference was obtained in VAS values between two groups (p>0,05). Sedationscores of the groups were similar. Sedation score in both groups was ≤2. Deep sedationdid not observe in any of the patients. Adverse reactions observed were similar andthey were nausea, vomiting and constipation. The patients had no respiratorydepression, urinary retantion and itching.In conclusion, in treatment for pain from oral mucositis due to high dosechemotherapy and radiotherapy in cancer patients, it was found that intravenousmorphine infusion and transdermal fentanyl had provided equal analgesic efficacywithout causing excess sedation or serious adverse reactions. Finally, we found thattransdermal fentanyl use was an ideal option for pain management in patients with oralmucositis, which provides that it does not require any intravenous route or infusionpump, is easy to use, and is applied for every 72 hours.KEY WORDS: Cancer, oral mucositis, analgesia, morphine, transdermalfentanil.vii