Repeat spinal anesthesia in cesarean section: A comparison between 10 mg and 12 mg doses of intrathecal hyperbaric (0.05%) bupivacaine repeated after failed spinal anesthesia: A prospective, parallel group study

Spinal anesthesia for cesarean section is not a 100% successful technique. At times, despite straightforward insertion and drug administration, intrathecal anesthesia for cesarean section fails to obtain any sensory or motor block. Very few studies and literature are available regarding repeat administration of spinal anesthesia and its drug dosage, especially after first spinal failure in cesarean section lower segment cesarean section (LSCS) due to fear of the excessive spread of drug. The aim of our study is to compare the outcome between two different doses of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine repeated intrathecally after failed spinal. After taking informed consent and Ethical Committee approval this prospective, randomized single-blinded study was conducted in 100 parturients of American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II who were posted for elective LSCS and had Bromage score 0 and no sensory block even at L4 dermatome after 10 min of first spinal anesthesia; were included in the study. Group A (n = 50) patients received 2.4 ml and Group B (n = 50) patients received 2 ml of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine respectively for administering repeat spinal anesthesia. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and electrocardiogram were monitored both intra- and post-operatively and complications were recorded. Incidence of high spinal, bradycardia, hypotension, respiratory complications, and nausea vomiting are significantly higher in Group A compared to Group B (P < 0.05). SBP, DBP, and HR were significantly low in Group A patients compared to Group B in the first 10 min (P < 0.05). Spinal anesthesia can be safely repeated in the cesarean section with 10 mg of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine provided after first spinal anesthesia, the level of sensory block is below L4 and motor power in Bromage scale is 0.