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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A Misleading Conclusion and Abstract

Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong, China, Dr. Kopacz does not wish to respond.

To the Editor:

I was concerned to read the discrepancy between the actual results obtained and the conclusion reached by Kopacz et al. (1) in their paper published in your journal. In their Results section, the authors reported, "There were no differences in plasma concentrations of local anesthetic in patients who received plain levobupivacaine compared with patients in the epinephrine-containing groups. . .." In accordance, they stated that "statistical significance was not reached for any of these measures" at the beginning of their Discussion. However, they then proceeded to conclude, "The addition of epinephrine decreases plasma local anesthetic levels . . .." My greatest concern is the statement in their Abstract that "peak serum levobupivacaine levels were reduced. . .." As many readers, especially those searching for information on Medline, read only the abstracts, may I suggest that the authors should perhaps issue an erratum to the conclusion that they actually reported in the Abstract to read: "Peak serum levobupivacaine levels were not significantly reduced. . .." to concur with the findings in their Results.

Reference

1. Kopacz DJ, Helman JD, Nussbaum CE, et al. A comparison of epidural levobupivacaine 0.5% with or without epinephrine for lumbar spine surgery. Anesth Analg 2001; 93: 755–60.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

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