Patient‐controlled analgesia: Experience of two new machines

Two modern patient‐controlled analgesia pumps have been evaluated in the laboratory and in clinical use. Both machines generally performed satisfactorily and patients achieved good pain relief from self‐administered morphine. The relative merits of the two pumps are discussed and although the on demand analgesic computer is preferred, a substantial investment of time on the ward is required to provide continuous patient‐controlled analgesia.