Analgesic requirements following surgery.

THE requirements for postoperative analgesia are very variable and are thought to depend on a multitude of factors which include age, sex, social class, the site and extent of surgery and the immobility or otherwise of the patient (Keats, 1956). The writer had the opportunity to observe and record the frequency of use of postoperative analgesia in the general surgical recovery ward in a main hospital. During two separate periods (totalling 9 months) a record was maintained of the requirements of 1,611 consecutive surgical patients. This paper presents an analysis of the findings and relates drug needs to the site of operation and the sex of the patient. During the second period of observation the analgesic requirements following endoscopy were also noted.