Ondansetron attenuates the decrease in blood pressure due to spinal anesthesia in the elderly: a double blind,...

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Pharmacology
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Ondansetron effectively prevents spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension in general and cesarean section populations.
• Elderly patients may be more susceptible to hypotension and bradycardia following spinal anesthesia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if intravenous ondansetron administration mitigates hypotension and bradycardia in elderly patients receiving spinal anesthesia.
• To test the hypothesis that blocking serotonin type 3 receptors with ondansetron is beneficial in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 53 elderly patients.
• Patients received either 8 mg intravenous ondansetron or a saline placebo before spinal anesthesia.
• Heart rate and arterial blood pressure were monitored for 20 minutes post-anesthesia.

Main Results:

• Both groups experienced decreases in heart rate and mean arterial pressure.
• The ondansetron group showed significantly higher minimum diastolic and mean blood pressure values.
• No significant differences in systolic blood pressure or heart rate were observed between groups.

Conclusions:

• Intravenous ondansetron attenuates the decrease in diastolic and mean arterial pressure during spinal anesthesia in geriatric patients.
• Ondansetron does not significantly impact systolic blood pressure or heart rate in this context.
• The findings suggest ondansetron is a potential therapeutic option for managing spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension in the elderly.