Full text of DOI:10.1007/BF03020730

REPORTS OF INVESTIGATION
43
Onset of spinal block is
more rapid with isobaric
than hyperbaric bupiva-
caine
René Martin MD FRCPC,
Chantal Frigon MD FRCPC,
Angelo Chrétien MD FRCP,
Jean-Pierre Tétrault MD MSc FRCPC
Purpose: To compare isobaric with hyperbaric 9.75 mg bupivacaine injected intrathecally, and to evaluate the
effects of subsequent injection of lidocaine 2% into the epidural space.
Methods: Patients in group 1 (n=30) received isobaric 9.75 mg bupivacaine and in group 2 (n=30) hyperbaric
9.75 mg bupivacaine injected into the subarachnoid space in a combined spinal-epidural technique. They were
undergoing urological, gynecological, orthopedic, gastro-intestinal or vascular surgery. Using a double blind tech-
nique, the followings parameters were measured: cutaneous analgesia to pinprick, motor blockade, time for two
segment regression, time for complete regression of the motor block, quality of anesthesia. In 12 patients the
effect of epidural injections of 3 ml lidocaine 2% was observed.
Results: Motor and sensory block developed more rapidly (five minutes) in the isobaric group (P < 0.05) .
Maximum upper level (T7 ± 2 ), two-segment regression (52 min in both groups), motor recovery (160 vs 157
min), and quality of anesthesia did not differ between the two groups. Thirty nine epidural injections of 3 ml lido-
caine 2% were given in 12 patients 10 min after spinal injection, 28 were in the hyperbaric group (P < 0.05). Twenty
six of the epidural injections produced an increase in sensory block of 0 or 1 dermatome, and 13, of 2 or more.
Conclusion: The block developed more rapidly in the isobaric group, but both isobaric and hyperbaric 9.75 mg
bupivacaine produced adequate upper levels of analgesia for surgery. The effect of epidural injections of 3 ml lido-
caine 2% was usually minimal.
Objectif : Comparer 9,75 mg de bupivacaïne isobare et hyperbare injectés en sous-arachnoïdien, et évaluer
l’effet, quand nécessaire, de la lidocaïne 2 % injectée subséquemment dans l’espace épidural.
Méthode : Les patients du groupe 1 (n=30) ont reçu 9,75 mg de bupivacaïne isobare et ceux du groupe 2
(n=30) 9,75 mg de bupivacaïne hyperbare en injection sous-arachnoïdienne selon une technique combinée
rachi-épidurale. Des interventions chirurgicales urologiques, gynécologiques, orthopédiques, gastro-intestinales et
vasculaires ont été faites. En utilisant une technique de double insu, on a mesuré les paramètres suivants : anal-
gésie cutanée à la piqûre, bloc moteur, temps de régression de 2 niveaux, temps de régression complète du bloc
moteur, qualité d’anesthésie. Chez 12 patients qui ont eu besoin d’injections épidurales de 3 ml de lidocaïne 2
%, l’effet de l’injection a été observé.
Résultats : Les blocs moteur et sensitif se sont développés plus rapidement (5 min) dans le groupe isobare (P
< 0,05). Les niveaux supérieurs d’analgésie (D7 ± 2), les temps de régression de 2 segments (52 min), la
récupération motrice (160 vs 157 min), et la qualité de l’anesthésie ont été similaires. Trente-neuf injections épidu-
rales de 3 ml de lidocaïne 2 % ont été faites chez 12 patients, 10 min après l’injection sous-arachnoïdienne. Vingt-
huit des réinjections l’ont été dans le groupe hyperbare (P < 0,05); vingt-six ont produit une augmentation de 0
ou 1 dermatome, et 13 de 2 ou plus.
Conclusion : Le bloc s’est développé plus rapidement, de 5 min, dans le groupe bupivacaïne isobare, mais 9,75
mg de bupivacaïne isobare ou hyperbare ont produit des niveaux d’analgésie supérieurs adéquats pour l’opéra-
tion . L’effet d’injections épidurales de 3 ml de lidocaïne 2 % est le plus souvent minime.
From the Department of Anesthesia, University of Sherbrooke, 3001 12th Avenue North, Fleurimont, Québec, J1H 5N4 Canada.
Address correspondence to: Dr. René Martin. Phone: 819-346-1110; Fax: 819-820-6413; E-mail: rmartin@courrier.usherb.ca
Presented in part at the annual meeting of the IARS, Los Angeles, CA. March 12-16, 1999.
Accepted for publication October 3, 1999
CAN J ANESTH 2000 / 47: 1 / pp 43–46

44
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANESTHESIA
RANSIENTneurological symptoms associ-
ated with spinal lidocaine are an important
factor for the popularity of bupivacaine in
injection of bupivacaine, an epidural injection of 3 ml
plain carbonated lidocaine was allowed if the attend-
ing anesthesiologist considered the level of analgesia
inadequate for the planned surgery. The epidural
injection could be repeated at five minutes intervals if
the level of analgesia was still considered inadequate.
Epidural injections of three milliliters lidocaine 2%
could also be used if the spinal block had regressed
before the end of surgery, also at five minute intervals.
Patients who received the epidural injection were
excluded from further analysis of cutaneous levels,
motor block, and duration of motor block after spinal
injection. The perioperative anesthesia was evaluated
as complete, partial or inadequate. Vital signs were
measured every 2.5 min and the patients received an
infusion of 500 ml lactated Ringer’s solution iv before
the spinal injection. A decrease of systolic blood pres-
sure below 100 mm Hg was treated with ephedrine.
Sedation with midazolam and/or fentanyl was given
when judged useful by the anesthesiologist. Patients
were interviewed on the day after the surgery about
their evaluation of the anesthesia for the surgery, on a
0-10 satisfaction scale.
1
T
spinal anesthesia. However, spinal bupiva-
caine has a longer duration of action than lidocaine.
Thus, there is a reason for the interest in using small
doses of bupivacaine in order to make this drug com-
patible with ambulatory surgery.2 Less bupivacaine
leads to less sensory and motor block,2 but the flexi-
bility of a combined spinal-epidural technique could
compensate for this problem.3
However, even when used in small dosage in a
combined spinal-epidural technique, isobaric bupiva-
caine is more appropriate than hyperbaric bupivacaine
but the effect of subsequent injection of lidocaine 2%
into the epidural space is not known4 This led us to
compare 9.75 mg of isobaric and hyperbaric bupiva-
caine used in a combined spinal-epidural technique,
where lidocaine 2% could be injected in the epidural
space when the block was inadequate for surgery, or
has regressed before the end of surgery.
Methods
Following institutional approval and written informed
consent, 60 patients scheduled for elective surgery
were studied. The patients were randomized to two
groups of 30 patients. Patients in group 1 received
9.75 mg isobaric bupivacaine and patients in group 2
received 9.75 mg hyperbaric bupivacaine. The study
was double blind: the patient and the evaluator did
not know what medication was injected. Bupivacaine
0.75% was used, and 1.3 ml of commercial hyperbaric
and plain (isobaric) solutions were injected at L3-4 or
L4-5 in a sitting position through a 27 g pencil point
Whitacre needle with the aperture of the needle
directed cephalad. A 19 g epidural catheter, inserted
3-4 cm cephalad, was left in place and the patients
were placed supine with the operating table in a neu-
tral position.
For the first 40 patients, upper cutaneous levels of
analgesia and motor block were evaluated every five
minutes for 20 min. The measurements were repeated
40 min later and every 15 min until complete recov-
ery of the motor block. For the last 20 patients, to
evaluate two segment regression time, measurements
were repeated every five minutes throughout the
study. The duration in sitting position after the spinal
injection was also noted in these patients. Upper cuta-
neous levels of analgesia were evaluated with a
Wartenberg pinwheel and motor block with the
Bromage scale (3=complete paralysis, 2=movements
of the foot only, 1=small motor block movement of
the knee, 0=no paralysis). Ten minutes after the spinal
A sample of 60 patients was based on an arbitrary
difference of two cutaneous segments in the upper lev-
els of analgesia between the two groups gives a power
of 0.9 to the study. Student’s t tests for unpaired data
were used for comparison of quantitative data, and Chi
square tests for nominal data. A P < 0.05 was consid-
ered significant.
Results
There were no differences between groups in age, sex,
weight, height or in the type and duration of surgery
(Table I). Upper levels of analgesia (Figure 1) and
motor block (Figure 2) occurred more rapidly in the
isobaric group (P < 0.05). However, at 15 min, maxi-
mum upper sensory levels (T7 2) and motor block
were not different. Two segment regression time, time
in the sitting position after spinal injection, complete
motor recovery and the use of ephedrine did not differ
(Table II). The quality of anesthesia, need for intraop-
erative sedation and satisfaction of the patients were
adequate in both groups (Table II). Finally, 39 epidur-
al injections of lidocaine 2% were given to 12 patients
(four in group 1 and eight in group 2) 10 min after
spinal injection. Twenty eight of the reinjections were
in the hyperbaric group (P < 0.05). Twenty six of the
epidural injections produced an increase in sensory
block of 0 or 1 dermatome, and 13, an increase of 2 or
more (mode=0 segment, mean=1.3 in the isobaric
group and 1.2 in the hyperbaric group five minutes
after injection).

Martin et al.: ISOBARIC A N D HYPERBARIC BUPIVACAINE
45
TABLE I Demographic and Surgical Data (Mean SD, or n)
Group
Isobaric
(n=30)
Hyperbaric
(n=30)
Age (year)
Gender (M/F)
57 18
M = 21
F = 9
55 17
M = 26
F = 6
Weight (kg)
71 17
74 11
Height (cm)
Type of surgery:
Urologic
167
9
169
9
15
6
18
3
Gynecologic
Orthopedic
Gastro-Intestinal
Vascular
3
2
4
3
2
4
Duration of surgery (min)
40 37
38 35
TABLE II Perioperative and postoperative data (Mean SD, or n)
Group
Isobaric
(n=30)
Hyperbaric
(n=30)
Duration of sitting position (min)*
Time for 2 segments regression (min)* 52 19
Time for motor recovery (min)
Ephedrine use (n)
Quality of anesthesia
Complete
2.7 0.9
2.9 1.4
52 28
157 60
5
FIGURE 1 Upper levels of analgesia at different times after
spinal injection of bupivacaine. Means SD.
161 60
2
28
2
25
5
Partial
Incomplete
Perioperative sedation (n)
0
8
0
8
Patient satisfaction of anesthesia (0-10) 9.6 0.6
9.2
1
* Based on data from 20 patients
Discussion
In the present study the onset of spinal block is more
rapid with isobaric than with hyperbaric bupivacaine and
1.3 ml of either isobaric or hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.75%
produce upper levels of analgesia at about T7 2 which
are adequate for many procedures. Complete recovery of
the motor block took about 2.5 hr with either form of
bupivacaine and the effect of epidural injections of 3 ml
lidocaine 2 % usually has a minimal effect in the present
combined spinal-epidural technique.
Isobaric bupivacaine, 15 mg, was reported to pro-
duce a more rapid block than the hyperbaric form in
one study.4 We observed the same trend with 9.75
mg, the isobaric form being five minutes faster. Fifteen
min after the spinal injection, both forms of bupiva-
FIGURE 2 Degree of motor block at different times after spinal
injection of bupivacaine. Means SD.
caine produced a maximum T7
2 upper levels.
Factors that have been demonstrated to affect the dis-
tribution of local anesthetic solutions in CSF include
age, height, anatomy of the spinal column, injection
site, volume of CSF, density of CSF, baricity of anes-
thetic solution, position of the patient, dose and vol-
ume solution injected.5 In the present study, we retain
the baricity of the anesthetic solution and position of
the patient. The density of the “isobaric” solution is
0.99964 g·ml–1, i. e. slightly hypobaric.6 The density

46
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANESTHESIA
of the hyperbaric solution is 1.0247 g·ml– 1.7 We
expected posture to have no influence on cephalad
spread of the isobaric solution4 but, in one study, the
spread of analgesia was significantly greater in patients
who sat for 2.5 min or more.8 The patients in the iso-
baric group sat 2.7 min after the spinal injection. This
may explain why the upper levels were the same in
both groups, even though the hyperbaric solutions are
expected to produce higher levels in supine position
on a horizontal table.9
Complete recovery of the motor block occurred in
2.5 hr with either form of bupivacaine. This is not very
different from the recovery wich follows the injection of
2.5 ml lidocaine (50 mg) in the subarachnoid space,1
and make 9.75 mg of either isobaric or hyperbaric bupi-
vacaine compatible with ambulatory surgery.
3 Rawal N, Van Zundert A, Holmström B, Crowhurst JA.
Combined spinal-epidural technique. Reg Anesth
1997; 22: 406–23.
4 Stienstra R, van Poorten JF. Plain or hyperbaric bupiva-
caine for spinal anesthesia. Anesth Analg 1987; 66:
171–6.
5 Green NM. Distribution of local anesthetic solutions
within the subarachnoid space. Anesth Analg 1985; 64:
715–30.
6 Richardson MG, Wissler RN. Densities of dextrose-free
intrathecal local anesthetics, opioids, and combinations
measured at 37°C. Anesth Analg 1997; 84: 95–9.
7 Lui ACP, Polis TZ, Cicutti NJ. Densities of cere-
brospinal fluid and spinal anaesthetic solutions in surgi-
cal patients at body temperature. Can J Anaesth 1998;
45: 297–303.
8 Kalso E, Tuominen M, Rosenberg PH. Effect of posture
and some C.S.F. characteristics on spinal anaesthesia
with isobaric 0.5% bupivacaine. Br J Anaesth 1982; 54:
1179–84.
9 Cummings GC, Bamber DB, Edstrom HH, Rubin AP.
Subarachnoid blockade with bupivacaine. A compari-
son with cinchocaine. Br J Anaesth 1984; 56: 573–9.
10 Blumgart CH, Ryall D, Dennison B, Thompson-Hill
LM. Mechanism of extension of spinal anaesthesia by
extradural injection of local anaesthetic. Br J Anaesth
1992; 69: 457–60.
Finally, 3 ml lidocaine 2% injected into the epidur-
al space 10 min after the spinal did not increase the
levels of analgesia in most patients and more patients
in the hyperbaric groups had such injections. The
explanation for the more frequent epidural injections
in the hyperbaric group is that, in the sitting position,
anesthesia developed more slowly. Consequently, the
cutaneous levels were lower at 10 min and they had
more (× 2) frequent injections of epidural lidocaine.
Concerning the mechanism of extension of spinal
anesthesia by extradural injection of local anesthetic, it
is partly a volume effect and partly an effect of local
anesthetic itself.10,11 Thus, extradural saline would
extend the sensory block, but less than that by a local
anesthetic. An increased spread of 4 to 5 segments is
expected over 15 min after a 10 ml bupivacaine 0.5%
epidural injection in a combined spinal-epidural anes-
thesia.1 1 Thus, after 3 ml, observation of only a 1.5
segment increase at five minutes following the injec-
tion is expected. However, the injection was made
only 10 min after the spinal injection. Increase may
have been due to the spinal injection itself.
11 Stienstra R, Dahan A, Alhadi BZR, van Kleef JW,
Burm AGL. Mechanism of action of an epidural top-up
in combined spinal epidural anesthesia. Anesth Analg
1996; 83: 382–6.
In conclusion, the block developed more rapidly
with the isobaric form of bupivacaine. However, 9.75
mg of either isobaric or hyperbaric bupivacaine inject-
ed intrathecally produced adequate levels of anesthesia
for surgery, and is a dosage compatible with ambula-
tory surgery.
References
1 Hampl KF, Heinzmann-Wiedmer S, Luginbuehl I, et al.
Transient neurologic symptoms after spinal anesthesia.
A lower incidence with prilocaine and bupivacaine than
with lidocaine. Anesthesiology 1998; 88: 629–33.
2 Liu SS, Ware PD, Allen HW, Neal JM, Pollock JE.
Dose-response characteristics of spinal bupivacaine in
volunteers. Anesthesiology 1996; 85: 729–36.