M. Sumi et al., THE ADVANTAGES OF THE LATERAL DECUBITUS POSITION AFTER SPINAL-ANESTHESIA WITH HYPERBARIC TETRACAINE, Anesthesia and analgesia, 87(4), 1998, pp. 879-884
We investigated the effects of lateral decubitus positioning after spi
nal anesthesia with hyperbaric tetracaine on the spread of sensory blo
ckade and hemodynamic variables. One hundred ASA physical status I or
II patients scheduled for elective surgery to the lower limb received
spinal anesthesia at a rate of approximately 0.1 mL/s using 0.5% tetra
caine in 7.5% glucose with 0.125% phenylephrine in the lateral decubit
us position with the operated side dependent. They were randomly divid
ed into three groups: patients in Group I were placed supine immediate
ly after spinal injection; those in Group II remained in the lateral p
osition for 10 min before being turned supine; chose in Group III were
kept in the lateral position for 20 min then turned supine. Neural bl
ock was assessed by cold, pinprick, and touch sensation, and a modifie
d Bromage scale. Hemodynamic variables included blood pressure, heart
rate, and the use of ephedrine for the treatment of hypotension The me
dian (10th, 90th percentiles) peak dermatomal level to pinprick on the
dependent side in Group III was T8 (T11, T5), which was significantly
lower than that in Groups I and II, which extended to T4 (T9, T3) and
T5 (T10, T2), respectively (P < 0.05). The difference in the maximal
cephalad spread of sensory blockade between both sides in Group iii wa
s only one dermatome but was statistically significant (P < 0.05); in
contrast, there was no significant difference in the maximal sensory l
evel between both sides in Groups I and Il. The use of ephedrine for t
he treatment of hypotension was significantly less frequent in Group I
II than the other groups. We conclude that keeping a patient in the la
teral decubitus position for 20 min after hyperbaric tetracaine spinal
anesthesia maintains preferential anesthetic distribution to the depe
ndent side. Despite small differences between the two sides, the restr
icted spread of blockade and less hemodynamic variability may be clini
cally advantageous. Implications: The effects of posture on the spread
of hyperbaric spinal anesthesia have not been adequately investigated
. The results of the present study suggest an advantage of prolonged l
ateral decubitus positioning after intrathecal hyperbaric tetracaine.