Ventilatory arrest after a fluid challenge in a neonate receiving s.c. morphine.

S.c. infusions of morphine have been advocated for postoperative analgesia in children, but experience with this technique is limited. We report a case in which an s.c. infusion of morphine given after operation to a neonate failed to provide acceptable analgesia until the child had been adequately rehydrated. However, restoration of peripheral perfusion with a fluid challenge was followed by sudden ventilatory arrest which required resuscitation and naloxone infusion. This report emphasizes the dangers of giving morphine by a peripheral route in the dehydrated or hypovolaemic infant.