Subarachnoid block with hyperbaric bupivacaine and morphine may shorten PACU stay after cesarean delivery.

Spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery is a widely used modality. Both hyperbaric and isobaric bupivacaine are in clinical use, with or without the addition of opioids, but the baricity of intrathecal bupivacaine has not been correlated with recovery time after cesarean delivery. One hundred parturients scheduled for elective cesarean delivery were randomly divided into four groups: hyperbaric bupivacaine (10 mg), hyperbaric bupivacaine (10 mg) with morphine (100 mcg), isobaric bupivacaine (10 mg), and isobaric bupivacaine (10 mg) with morphine (100 mcg). All groups received additional intrathecal fentanyl 15 mcg. Recovery from motor block, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and postoperative pain, as well as analgesic requirements were documented. The four groups did not differ in the rate of intraoperative and postoperative adverse effects. Parturients receiving hyperbaric bupivacaine recovered from motor block earlier and were less likely to require analgesic supplements, thus meeting PACU discharge criteria sooner. The addition of intrathecal morphine did not significantly delay postoperative recovery or discharge from the PACU and further reduced analgesic requirements. Spinal anesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine 10 mg with or without morphine 100 mcg provided faster, less painful recovery compared with either isobaric bupivacaine with or without morphine when added to fentanyl 15 mcg, enabling faster discharge from the PACU.

Comparison of Rhabdomyolysis Markers in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery with Propofol and Inhalation-based Anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Rhabdomyolysis is a relatively uncommon, severe complication of anesthesia and surgery in the morbidly obese. As the use of propofol-based anesthesia has been associated with an increased risk of rhabdomyolysis and metabolic acidosis, this pilot study was designed to assess the effect of propofol anesthesia on the incidence of rhabdomyolysis in morbidly obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery. METHODS: Thirty, morbidly obese patients (body mass index 43 ± 3 kg/m(2)) scheduled for bariatric laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy were randomized to receive either propofol (P) or inhalational anesthetic (I)-based balanced general anesthesia. A sample of venous blood gas analysis including pH, bicarbonate concentrations, and calculated base excess was taken at the end of the operation. Creatine phosphokinase (CPK), troponin I, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine plasma concentrations were measured at the end of the surgery and again 24 h later. RESULTS: All patients enrolled to the study completed it without significant complications. CPK, troponin I, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine plasma concentrations at the end of the operation and at 24 h, as well as the bicarbonate concentration and the base excess at the end of the operation were not significantly different between the two study groups. A statistically significant mild respiratory acidosis was noted in the inhalational anesthetic group (pH 7.30 ± 0.04 vs. 7.36 ± 0.02 in the propofol group) CONCLUSIONS: This small-size pilot study may suggest that propofol-based anesthesia is not related to increased incidence of rhabdomyolysis in morbidly obese patients undergoing short, uncomplicated bariatric surgery.