Influence of Age on Spinal Anaesthesia With Isobaric 0.5° Bupivacaine

Abstract

Possible correlations between age and certain characteristics of spinal blockade with plain bupivacaine were investigated in 124 patients, ages ranging from 15 to 92 yr. Three millilitre of 0.5% solution (sp. gr. 1.000 at 37 degrees C) was injected at the L3-L4 interspace. There were great individual variations in all age groups, but the maximum spread of analgesia increased with age, although the correlation was poor (P less than 0.05). The spread of analgesia to L2 and L3 segments in the oldest patients (greater than or equal to 70 yr) was about twice as fast as that in the youngest (less than 30 yr). Complete motor blockade of the lower extremities developed most rapidly in the oldest patients (greater than or equal to 80 yr; mean 11 min), while in patients younger than 50 yr the mean time to complete motor block was approximately doubled. The mean sensory recovery of the two uppermost segments and the mean sensory recovery of the S1 segment did not correlate significantly with age. The decrease of systolic arterial pressure was correlated with the height of the sensory block only in the oldest (greater than or equal to 80 yr) patients. Post-spinal headache was encountered in two patients (1.6%).

Spinal Anesthesia Failure After Local Anesthetic Injection Into Cerebrospinal Fluid

“…However, the difference, even when statistically significant, concerned only 3 dermatomes between 20 and 80 years, which limits the findings' true clinical relevance. 27 Further studies are indicated to better understand any such relationship.…”

The effect of body mass index on the spread of spinal block in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

“…Despite the unpredictability of the spread of spinal anesthesia [1], patient-dependent factors, for example body mass index (BMI) [2][3][4], weight, height [2], age [5], and volume of cerebrospinal fluid [6,7], have been pointed out as determinants of the sensory block level in surgical patients. Leino et al [8] have recently observed a greater spread of spinal block, and a greater effect of BMI on the spread of spinal block in rheumatoid patients compared with non-rheumatoid control patients [8].…”

Raquianestesia com lidocaína a 2% pura em cirurgias ortopédicas de curta duração: estudo em 250 pacientes

“…Isobaric bupivacaine has shown variable spread in different age groups 12,13 . A correlation between sensory block level and age was observed in patients aging from 15 to 92 years treated with 3 ml 14 , and in patients aging from 33 to 97 years 15 treated with 4 ml of 0.5% isobaric bupivacaine. There are no reports in the literature about the cephalad spread of analgesia with 2% isobaric lidocaine as a function of patients' age.…”