A Comparison of Minidose Bupivacaine- Fentanyl and Conventional Dose Bupivacaine Spinal Anesthesia for Surgical Repair of Hip Fracture in the Aged.

Abstract

In this study, 40 patients ASA physical status I-III were classified into

2 equal groups. One of them received spinal bupivacaine 5 mg plus fentanyl

20/lg, while the other group received spinal bupivacaine 10 mg only.

Comparison of the 2 groups was in accordance to time of onset, level of sensory blockade, duration of analgesia, mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, degree of pain sensation using visual analogue scale, intraoperative and postoperative nausea and vomiting and total amount of vasopressor used. Our results showed that the time of onset of maximal blockade was

slightly faster in the minidose group patients than the other group. The peak sensory level was higher (T9.5 vs. T10.75) in the conventional dose group patients. The conventional dose group patients were more likely to require treatment of hypotension (50o/o vs. 5%) than patients in the minidose bupivacaine-fentanyl group. Total amount of ephedrine requirements were higher in conventional dose group patients than the minidose bupivacaine­ fentanyl group patients.