Spinal opioids and the treatment of the obstetric patient with cardiac disease.

The administration of narcotics into the spinal or epidural space has proven to be efficacious in the relief of mild to moderate pain. Unlike local anesthetics, intraspinal opioids are not associated with a decrease in systemic vascular resistance. Recent research has shown that opioids alone, or combined with local anesthetics, offer distinct advantages over the use of local anesthetics, alone when providing analgesia for the pregnant patient with cardiac disease.