CJA
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a scholarly reply
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kasaba, T.
Right arrow Articles by Takasaki, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kasaba, T.
Right arrow Articles by Takasaki, M.

Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 43, 1211-1215, Copyright © 1996 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

ARTICLES

Epidural fentanyl improves the onset and spread of epidural mepivacaine analgesia

T Kasaba, G Yoshikawa, T Seguchi and M Takasaki
Department of Anesthesiology, Miyazaki Medical College, Japan.

PURPOSE: To determine the extent of enhanced blockade by the combined use of epidural fentanyl and mepivacaine. We compared the onset of hypoalgesia, analgesia and the threshold of pressure pain. METHODS: Thirty patients were randomly divided into three groups. The fentanyl group received 10 ml saline containing 0.1 mg fentanyl, mepivacaine group received 10 ml mepivacaine 1% and a mixed group received 10 ml mepivacaine 1% with 0.1 mg fentanyl. All solutions, without epinephrine, were injected through an epidural catheter at T5-6 to T6-7. The change in sensation, loss of pin-prick and pain threshold sensation, measured by pressure algometer, were assessed at 2.5-min intervals for 15 min at the T4 dermatome. Spread of analgesia was determined at 15 min. RESULTS: Loss of pinprick was more rapid in the mixed, 11.0 +/- 2.7 (SD) min, than in the mepivacaine group, 15.0 +/- 2.9 min, (P < 0.05), although there was no difference in change of sensation. Pressure pain threshold increased with time in the mepivacaine (P < 0.05) and mixed (P < 0.05) groups. It was higher in the mixed than in the fentanyl and mepivacaine groups at 5, 7.5 and 10 min (P < 0.05). The lower level of analgesia was lower in the mixed than in the mepivacaine groups (P < 0.05). Blood pressure was unchanged in the three groups, but heart rate decreased at 7.5, 10, 12.5, and 15 min in the mepivacaine and mixed groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of fentanyl to mepivacaine accelerates the onset of analgesia and enhances the analgesic effect of epidural block.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Anesth. Analg.Home page
C.-H. Cherng, C.-P. Yang, and C.-S. Wong
Epidural Fentanyl Speeds the Onset of Sensory and Motor Blocks During Epidural Ropivacaine Anesthesia
Anesth. Analg., December 1, 2005; 101(6): 1834 - 1837.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1996 by the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.