Low Concentrations of Bupivacaine Via Femoral Nerve Catheter Achieve Effective Pain Control after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

A comparative efficacy study of hyperbaric 5% lidocaine and 1.5% lidocaine for spinal anesthesia

We compared the clinical efficacy of 1.5% lidocaine in dextrose 7.5% in water, which is currently available as a commercial preparation but approved for use only in obstetrical patients, with the traditional 5% lidocaine in dextrose 7.5% in water for spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing lower abdominal procedures. Fifty-one male patients scheduled to undergo inguinal herniorrhaphy were randomly divided into two groups based on the spinal anesthetic received: Group I received 1.5% lidocaine in dextrose 7.5% in water, and Group II received 5% lidocaine in dextrose 7.5% in water. After intrathecal injection of the anesthetic, each patient was evaluated for the speed of onset, the time to recovery, and the quality of the surgical anesthesia and motor block that ensued by an anesthesiologist blinded to the technique. With the exception of the patients in Group I, who achieved a higher dermatome level of sensory analgesia, we were unable to demonstrate any significant clinical differences between the two lidocaine solutions. Our results indicate that lidocaine 1.5% in dextrose 7.5% in water is clinically indistinguishable from the 5% solution as a spinal anesthetic for lower abdominal surgery.

IMPLICATIONS

In this study, two concentrations of lidocaine are compared as spinal anesthetics in 51 male patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair. Patients were assessed for the onset, quality, and duration of the spinal block. The study results indicate that 1.5% lidocaine is as effective as the 5% solution as a spinal anesthetic for patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair.