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Posture‐related distribution of hyperbaric bupivacaine in cerebro‐spinal fluid is influenced by spinal needle characteristics
Author(s) -
Mardirosoff C.,
Dumont L.,
Deyaert M.,
Leconte M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1034/j.1399-6576.2001.045006772.x
Subject(s) - medicine , spinal anesthesia , anesthesia , sitting , supine position , bupivacaine , block (permutation group theory) , local anesthetic , surgery , geometry , mathematics , pathology
Background: No studies have evaluated the relationship between duration of time sitting and spinal needle type on the maximal spread of local anaesthetics. The few trials available have studied the influence of time spent sitting on the spread of anaesthesia without standardising spinal needle types, and have not found any effect. Methods: In this randomised, blinded study, 60 patients scheduled for elective orthopaedic surgery of the lower limbs were divided into 4 groups. With the patient sitting erect, 15 mg hyperbaric bupivacaine were injected in a standard manner through a 24G Sprotte or a 27G Whitacre needle and patients were placed supine after 1 min (24G/1 group and 27G/1 group) or 4 min (24G/4 group and 27G/4 group). Results: Time to achieve maximum block height after injection was similar in all groups. Block height levels were significantly lower at all time points for the 24G/4 group. Maximum block heights were Th4 in the 24G/1, 27G/1 and 27G/4 groups, and Th6 in the 24G/4 group ( P <0.0001). Conclusion: In a standard spinal anaesthesia procedure, when different lengths of time spent sitting are compared, spinal needle characteristics influence the maximum spread of hyperbaric bupivacaine. However, within the limits of our study, a two‐segment difference in block height is too small to consider using spinal needles as valuable tools to control block height during spinal anaesthesia in our daily practice.