Effects of varying doses of spinal 0.25% hyperbaric bupivacaine on visceral pain in cesarean section

Abstract

The present study investigated the safety and efficacy of 0.25% hyperbaric bupivacaine on the incidence of visceral pain during cesarean section performed under subarachnoid anesthesia. Sixty patients who were scheduled for elective cesarean section, allocated randomly to one of three groups, according to patient's height. Group 1, 2 and 3 received 3.2-3.6 mL (8-9 mg), 3.6-4.0 mL (9-10 mg) and 4.0-4.4 mL (10-11 mg) of 0.25% hyperbaric bupivacaine, respectively. There was no difference in the incidence of visceral pain between three groups (p>0.05), but the quality of intraoperative analgesia, as needs for general anesthesia or high dose of supplementary fentanyl, was significantly lower in group 3 than groups 1 and 2 (p<0.05). In conclusion, hyperbaric 0.25% bupivacaine in the dose of 10-11 mg is safe and effective in obtaining better quality of block in cesarean section, in order of reducing the severity of visceral pain.