The Effects of Height and Weight Adjusted Dose of Local Anesthetic.

• Status: Unknown status
• Trial end date: 2018-12-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Female

Summary

At our centre a conventional dose of 12 mg of hyperbaric bupivacaine in combination with a short acting opioid fentanyl (to increase block density) and a long acting opioid morphine (to provide post-operative pain relief ) is used for spinal anesthesia for cesarean section.However, larger doses of local anesthetic drug when used in caesarean section commonly cause low blood pressure and requires drugs (vasopressors) to treat it. In our study the investigators will standardize the doses of both opioids (fentanyl/morphine) and adjust the dose of local anesthetic (bupivacaine) based on the patients height and weight .One of the obvious challenges anesthesiologists face is providing adequate anesthesia to the patient whilst minimizing harmful side effects. Our primary concern is the low blood pressure as an effect of the spinal anesthetic as it is harmful to both mother and the baby. The investigators propose that the extent of surgical anesthetic block, which is dependent on height and weight in our adjusted dose group, will provide adequate anesthesia for surgery and minimise maternal low blood pressure.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Lawson Health Research Institute
• Treatments: Anesthetics; Anesthetics, Local; Ephedrine; Oxymetazoline; Phenylephrine; Pseudoephedrine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

ASA I and II patients aged 18-40 > 37 weeks gestation

• Scheduled for an elective c-section under spinal anesthetic

• Singleton pregnancy

• Patients height between 150-180cm and with a BMI of <35

• Subject understands the study and consents to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

Contraindication to neuraxial blockade

• Local anesthetic allergy

• Above or below our defined height and BMI criteria

• Emergency C-Section

• Complicated pregnancy including severe toxemia, pregnancy induced hypertension, and placenta previa