Intrathecal meperidine as the sole agent for cesarean section

Recently several reports have described the usefulness of meperidine as the sole agent for spinal anesthesia. In this study, meperidine 50mg mixed with 10% dextrose 0.5ml was used for the spinal anesthetic agent for Cesarean section in 182 cases. The subarachnoid injection of meperidine resulted in anesthesia similar to that noted with the intrathecal administration of local anesthetics. Sensory and motor blockades in all patients with meperidine spinal anesthesia were obtained. Prolonged analgesic effect (453.7 +/- 158.1 minutes) and rapid motor recovery (75.9 +/- 17.2 minutes) were obtained. Side effects included nausea (49 patients), hypotension (95 patients) and pruritus (30 patients). Hypotension was easily treated with rapid hydration and ephedrine. Eighteen patients complained of mild pain during the last period of operation. At birth, all newborns cried immediately and the mean Apgar scores were 9.8 +/- 0.4 at one minute and 10 at 5 minutes. It is concluded that meperidine, which has advantages such as rapid motor recovery, prolonged postoperative analgesia, and mild complications which may be easily treated, can serve as a good alternative agent for spinal anesthesia for Cesarean section.