Korean J Anesthesiol.  1998 May;34(5):977-983. 10.4097/kjae.1998.34.5.977.

Effect of Single Epidural Saline at 15 Minutes after the Spinal Anesthetic Administration on Spinal Sensory Blockade Level

• Park CH
• Roh WS
• Kim BI
• Park JW

• KMID: 2237675
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.1998.34.5.977

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The effect of epidural local anesthetics on the spinal anesthesia is not well known during the combined spinal epidural anesthesia (CSE). But, Blumgart and his colleagues suggested that epidural volume load affect spinal sensory blockade level. This study was designed to investigate the effect of extradural injection of normal saline on the level of the subarachnoid block according to the time of the extradural saline injection.
METHODS
Sixty patients undergoing lower abdominal and lower extremity operation were involved in our study. After performing subarachnoid block with 12 mg of hyperbaric tetracaine, divided into as follows: Group 1 (n=20), received only spinal anesthesia; Group 2 (n=20), received 15 ml of epidural saline immediately after spinal anesthetic administration; Group 3 (n=20), received 15 ml of epidural saline at 15 minutes after spinal anesthetic administration. Sensory blockade level was checked by pinprick test at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 60 and 90 minutes. Blood pressure, heart rate and incidence of complications such as hypotension, bradycardia, nausea and high spinal block were also measured.
RESULTS
The maximal sensory blockade level of Group 2 was higher than those of Group 1 and Group 3 (p<0.05). However, there was no difference between Group 1 and Group 3 as comparing to the maximal sensory blockade level. Changes of blood pressure and heart rate and incidence of complications were not different comparing with each other groups (p>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
From the results obtained, epidural volume load at the 15 minutes after spinal anesthetic administration did not affect the sensory blockade level of spinal anesthesia during CSE.

Keyword

Anesthesia: spinal; sensory blockade; Anesthetic techniques: epidural; combined spinal epidural

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia, Epidural
Anesthesia, Spinal
Anesthetics, Local
Blood Pressure
Bradycardia
Heart Rate
Humans
Hypotension
Incidence
Injections, Epidural
Lower Extremity
Nausea
Tetracaine
Anesthetics, Local
Tetracaine