Department of Anesthesiology
On Going Research Projects
Impact of timing of drug delivery on the efficacy of PCEA during labor:
LCDR Mike Harrison, LCDR Gerald Haas, David Gambling MD.
Effects of intrathecal fentanyl on duration of bupivacaine spinal blockade:
LT John Roussel.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the onset and duration of analgesia, motor blockade, and incidence of side effects in patients receiving an intrathecal(IT) mixture of 12 mg of bupivacaine and 25 mcg of fentanyl (0.5 ml of 50 mcg/ml solution) with patients receiving 12 mg of bupivacaine combine with 0.5 ml of preservative-free normal saline to determine if there are any differences between duration of sensory and motor block, duration of analgesia, and incidence of side effects. Only one study had specifically examined the effects of adding 25 mcg of fentanyl to 13.5 mg of bupivacaine for lower extremity surgery, and while it suggested the addition of fentanyl prolongs sensory block without prolonging motor block, there may be increased side effects such as hypotension and pruritus. We found no signifcant differences between the onset or duration of sensory and motor blockade in the two groups. The addition of IT fentanyl significantly prolonged postoperative analgesia by over three hours. The addition of fentanyl significantly increase the incidence of pruritus, but there were otherwise no differences in side effects including those that would delay hospital discharge such as urinary retention.
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