Avoid In:
N/A
Contraindication Notes:
Hypersensitivity to Pethidine.Respiratory depression, or where respiratory reserve is depleted (acute bronchial asthma, chronic airway disease, severe emphysema, severe chronic bronchitis, kyphoscoliosis).Head injury, raised intracranial pressure (apart form introducing monitoring and diagnostic problems, hypercapnia associated with respiratory depression can itself result in elevated intracranial pressure), brain tumour.Cardiac arrythmias, especially supraventricular tachycardias, cor pulmonale. Pethidine has a vagolytic action and may produce a significant increase in the ventricular response rate.Concurrent use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI’s), including selegeline, or use of MAOI’s within two weeks prior. The combination of monoamine oxidase inhibitors and pethidine has caused hypotension, hypertension, excitation, rigidity, hyperpyrexia and/or convulsions and in some cases fatalities have been reported. This combination should be avoided.Pre-eclampsia, eclampsia.Convulsive states such as status epilepticus, tetanus and strychnine poisoning, due to the stimulatory effects of pethidine on the spinal cord.Diabetic acidosis where there is a danger of coma.Acute alcoholism or delirium tremens.Severe liver disease, incipient hepatic encephalopathy.Patients with a low platelet count, coagulation disorders or receiving anticoagulant treatment.Continuous Intravenous Infusion: The administration of pethidine via continuous intravenous infusion in patients with renal impairment is contraindicated.Patient-Controlled Analgesia: The administration of pethidine via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) in young children and adults with poor cognitive function is contraindicated. The administration of pethidine via PCA in patients with renal impairment is contraindicated.