VALUE OF SEDATIVE PREMEDICATION IN FEMALE STERILIZATION VIA MINILAPAROTOMY - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF 2 LOCAL-ANESTHESIA REGIMEN

A prospective study of two local anaesthesia regimen for female steril ization is presented. A total of 1,077 female clients were sterilized via minilaparotomy under local anaesthesia (ML/LA) as outpatients. The clients underwent pre-operative screening and received preoperative a nd continuing counselling. The first 257 of these clients were sedated with an intramuscular injection of pethidine after atropine premedica tion (pre-sedated group). The other clients (non-sedated group) were p remedicated with atropine alone, without sedation. For the pre-sedated group, the mean volume of one percent lignocaine used was 183 (S.D.2. 2)ml, the mean length of surgical incision was 2.8 (S.D.0.5) cm, and t he mean duration of surgical was 15.8 (S.D.53) minutes; 8.2% of these clients reported that they felt much pain. In comparison, 7.7% of the non-sedated group clients reported much pain following a mean of 17.7 ml of one percent lignocaine (S.D.2.7) through an incision of mean len gth 2.5 (S.D.0.5) cm for surgery lasting a mean of 14.5 (S.D.4.5) minu tes. Clients who were pre-medicated with pethidine were more likely to have multiple post-operative complaints, especially dizziness, faintn ess, headache, nausea and vomiting. This study found no significant di fference in the clinical performance of female sterilization by minila parotomy, duration of operation, length of incision, amount of local a naesthesia required or perception of pain between clients who were pre medicated with intramuscular pethidine and those who were not.