Anesth Analg 2001;92:1020-1023
© 2001 International Anesthesia Research Society
REGIONAL ANESTHESIA AND PAIN MEDICINE
The Clinical Use of Small-Dose Tetracaine Spinal Anesthesia for Transurethral Prostatectomy
Tsung-Ying Chen, MD,
Chia-Chih Tseng, MD,
Li-Kai Wang, MD,
Tong-Ying Tsai, MD,
Bing-Shuo Chen, MD, and
Chuan-Lin Chang, MD
Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Tsung-Ying Chen, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, 138 Sheng-Li Rd., Tainan City, Taiwan 70101, R.O.C. Address e-mail to chenyt{at}mail.ncku.edu.tw
In a double-blinded study, we compared conventional dose tetracaine (8 mg), small-dose tetracaine (4 mg) with added fentanyl and epinephrine, and small-dose tetracaine (4 mg) with added fentanyl subarachnoid anesthesia. Forty-five patients scheduled for transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) under subarachnoid anesthesia were randomly assigned to Group 1 (8 mg hyperbaric tetracaine), Group 2 (4 mg hyperbaric tetracaine, 10 µg fen-tanyl, and 0.2 mg epinephrine), and Group 3 (4 mg hyperbaric tetracaine, 10 µg fentanyl, and 0.2 mL saline). Evaluations were performed after spinal anesthesia. Subarachnoid block was successful in all patients except one in Group 1, who required general anesthesia by mask. The median peak sensory levels 10 min after the induction of spinal anesthesia in Group 1 was T8, which was significantly higher than Group 2 and Group 3 (P < 0.05). The time of sensory and motor recovery in Group 3 was less than in Groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.05). Hypotension was observed in four patients in Group 1 and none in Groups 2 and 3. We conclude that small-dose 4-mg hyperbaric tetracaine plus 10 µg fentanyl might provide adequate anesthesia and fewer side effects for TURP when compared with the conventional (8 mg) dose.
Implications: Small-dose hyperbaric tetracaine (4 mg with 10 µg fentanyl added) may provide adequate anesthesia and fewer side effects for transurethral resection of the prostate.
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