Thoracic epidural analgesia I-a double-blind study between bupivacaine and etidocaine

A double-blind comparison was made in 40 patients undergoing thoracic epidural analgesia with either bupivacaine 0.5% or etidocaine 1.0%, both with adrenaline 5 mug/ml. All patients were undergoing elective upper abdominal surgery. They were studied both pre- and postoperatively. The parameters measured were: onset time, segmental spread and duration of analgesia; and also systolic blood pressure, heart rate and peak expiratory flow rate. In respect of these parameters, no major differences were found between the two solutions under the conditions of the study. The overall results, however, differ in many respects to those found when these agents are used in lumbar epidural analgesia.