Morphine pharmacokinetics during continuous infusion of morphine sulfate for infants receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

OBJECTIVES To determine a) if serum morphine concentration changes during the first 3 hrs of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); and b) if absorption of morphine onto the membrane oxygenator is responsible for these changes. Also, morphine clearance during the first 5 days of ECMO was studied. DESIGN Prospective, open-label study with consecutive patient enrollment. SETTING Neonatal intensive care unit at a university-affiliated, children's hospital. SUBJECTS Eleven neonates with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn receiving continuous intravenous infusions of morphine sulfate and requiring ECMO. INTERVENTIONS Blood samples were obtained from the subjects and ECMO circuits at predetermined time intervals. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Serum morphine concentration was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Morphine concentrations were no different from baseline at 5 mins, 1 hr, or 3 hrs after beginning ECMO. There was no significant difference in morphine concentration from samples taken immediately proximal and distal to the membrane oxygenator at 5 mins, 1 hr, and 3 hrs after the start of ECMO. Morphine clearance was calculated on days 1, 3, and 5 of ECMO. The mean value for morphine clearance was 11.7 +/- 9.3 (SD) ml/min/kg (range 2.6 to 34.5). CONCLUSIONS The initiation of ECMO does not lead to a significant decrease in serum morphine concentration and there is no uptake of morphine onto the membrane oxygenator of the ECMO circuit. Morphine clearance for infants receiving ECMO is variable.