Hyperbaric Intrathecal Morphine Analgesia During Labor in a Patient With Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome

The Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome can complicate the anesthetic management of the pregnant patient. These patients are prone to arrhythmia that can be accompanied by hypotension. Maintenance of a stable heart rhythm is necessary for both maternal and fetal well-being. An optimal anesthetic regimen that provides minimal cardiac and hemodynamic changes has not been determined. Intrathecal administration of opiates for obstetric analgesia has been found to provide hemodynamic stability because no motor or sympathetic blockade occurs. The authors report the successful use of intrathecal injection of morphine for labor analgesia in a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. (Obstet Gynecol 64:44S, 1984)