A Clinical Study of T-cain and Dibucaine in Spinal Anesthesia

Kim, Mi Hee; Kim, Dong Chan; Han, Young Jin; Choe, Huhn

Abstract

T-can is one of the most widely available local anesthetics for spinal anesthesia in Korea and we use T-cain almost exclusively. However, some anesthetists prefer other local anesthetics such as dibucaine, bupivacaine, or lidocaine for spinal anesthesia. We examined the hemodynamic effects, onset, spread, and duration of sensory and motor blockade following spinal anesthesia with 0.5% T-cain, 0.24% dibucaine, and 0.3% dibucaine. The results were as follows: 1) The blood pressure and pulse rate were decreased by all three drugs without significant difference among the three drugs. 2) The onset of sensory blockade was faster with T-cain than with dibucaine. T-cain containing 0.24% dibucaine had faster onset than the 0.3% solution. The spread of analgesia was also more rapid with T-cain than with dibucaine. 3) The motor blockade was significantly faster and more profound with T-cain than with dibucaine. 4) The duration of anesthesia was the shortest with T-cain containing 0.24% dibucaine and the longest with 0.3% dibucaine, but there was no statistical significance. From the above results, T-cain proved to be a more profound and shorter lasting local anesthetic than dibucaine. However, sensory and motor blockade produced by dibucaine were clinically acceptable. Therefore, both T-cain and dibucaine can be clinically available for spinal anesthesia.