Open AccessTramadol Added to Lidocaine for Intravenous Regional Anesthesia
Author(s) -
I Acalovschi,
Tudor Cristea,
Simona Mărgărit,
Rodica Gavrus
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
anesthesia and analgesia/anesthesia and analgesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.404
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1526-7598
pISSN - 0003-2999
DOI - 10.1097/00000539-200101000-00040
Subject(s) - tramadol , lidocaine , medicine , anesthesia , local anesthetic , analgesic , anesthetic , saline , intravenous regional anesthesia
Sixty volunteers, divided into four groups of 15 each, received IV regional anesthesia of the upper limb with 40 mL tramadol 0.25%, sodium chloride 0.9%, lidocaine 0.5%, or 100 mg tramadol-containing lidocaine 0.5%. By using a double-blinded method, we tested the onset and recovery of sensory block at six sites of the forearm and hand as well as onset of complete motor block. The symptoms after deflation of the tourniquet were recorded. The onset and recovery of sensory block and the onset of motor block were similar in the tramadol and saline groups. However, in the Tramadol-Lidocaine Group, the speed of onset of sensory block was faster than in the Lidocaine Group. In the Tramadol and the Tramadol-Lidocaine Groups, the incidence of skin rash and painful or burning sensation at the injection site was increased. We conclude that tramadol 0.25% does not have a local anesthetic effect when used as a sole drug for IV regional anesthesia, but might modify the action of local anesthetic, providing a shorter onset time of sensory block.