Background and Aim: Despite advances in the knowledge of pain, drugs and techniques our patients still continue to experience considerable pain after surgery. Looking to its properties, sufentanil has been used along with bupivacaine or xylocaine intrathecally in patients undergoing caesarean section, total hip replacement, genitourinary surgery, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and painless labour, by many workers. Hence, we carried out this study to evaluate the influence of addition of sufentanil to bupivacaine 0.5% heavy, on various characterstics of subarachnoid block, when given to parturients.
Material and Methods: The present prospective randomized clinical study of 60 Patients was carried out in the Department of Anaesthesiology, Government Medical College and SSG Hospital, Baroda, between the periods of 2006 2008. Spinal Anaesthesia was given in lumbar intervertebral space L3-L4, with midline approach, using 23 G Spinal Needle. The various parameters monitored were vital parameters, sensory block, motor block, neonatal outcome, intra-operative complications, post operative analgesia and post operative complications.
Results: The mean time for onset of sensory block was 78.46 ± 2.32 seconds in group B and 37.93±1.39 seconds in group BS. The mean onset of motor block in group B was 59.2±2.76 seconds while in group BS it was 51.93 ± 1.48. The difference was statistically significant. Patients in group B were alert (grade 0) intra-operatively whereas majority of patients in group BS had grade II sedation, denotes that they were sleepy but arousable.
Conclusion: Addition of 1ml (10 mcg) Sufentanil to 2 ml of Bupivacaine heavy (0.5%) intrathecally hastens the onset and prolongs the duration of sensory and motor blockade. Hemodynamic parameters are not affected with the inclusion of sufentanil. Respiratory rate and oxygen saturation does not get affected by the addition of sufentanil to bupivacaine. Addition of sufentanil to bupivacaine did not affect the neonatal outcome.
Key words: Bupivacaine, Hemodynamic, pain, Respiratory rate, sufentanil
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