One of your patients requires increasing doses of morphine for postoperative pain control. According to a recent study, what is the most likely outcome if this patient receives intravenous (I.V.) magnesium perioperatively?
I.V. magnesium potentiates morphine analgesia and is thought to have other analgesic properties through its action on calcium regulation and N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonism. It may, however, increase sedation, prolong neuromuscular blockade, and contribute to cardiac arrhythmia. The authors of a recent systematic review and meta-analysis examined the published literature on perioperative magnesium usage to provide an evidence-based attestation of the use of magnesium for perioperative pain control. They only included articles that compared placebo to I.V. magnesium. The total dose of I.V. morphine or its equivalent at 24 hours postoperatively was the primary end point; secondary end points were magnesium-related side effects. The primary end point was further analyzed depending on the type of surgery and...
