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Anesth Analg 1983; 62:1070-1072
© 1983 International Anesthesia Research Society
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Differential Sensitivities of Mammalian Nerve Fibers during Pregnancy

Sanjay Datta, MD, Donald H. Lambert, MD, Joseph Gregus, Aaron J. Gissen, MD, and Benjamin G. Covino, PhD

Received from the Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

Abstract

The onset of conduction blockade in the vagus nerve of pregnant and non-pregnant rabbits was studied utilizing an in vitro sheath nerve preparation. The time required for 50% depression of the action potential (AP) of A, B, and C vagal fibers from five pregnant and six nonpregnant animals was determined after the application of bupivacaine (0.35 mM). The onset of conduction block occurred in 6.7–12.1 min in the A, B, and C fibers from pregnant animals compared to onset times of 17.9–31.6 min in nerves taken from nonpregnant rabbits. The difference in onset time for each type of nerve fiber from pregnant and nonpregnant animals was highly significant. The results suggest either an increased sensitivity of nerve fibers from pregnant animals to bupivacaine or an enhanced diffusion of the bupivacaine to the membrane receptor site. Mechanical factors are clearly not responsible for the observed results. Hormonal factors may play a role in the decreased anesthetic latency, because progesterone levels were significantly higher in the pregnant animals.

Key Words: PREGNANCY • NERVE, Conduction • ANESTHETICS, Local: bupivacaine.




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Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999 HighWire Press
Copyright © 1983 by the International Anesthesia Research Society.