A comparative study of carticaine and prilocaine in epidural anaesthesia

Carticaine and prilocaine (without adrenaline) in epidural anaesthesia were compared in a double blind study. Carticaine and prilocaine were used in 2 % concentration without adrenaline. The latency time was not significantly different, but carticaine was a shorter acting local anaesthetic. The motor block in both series was similar. Carticaine is a good and reliable analgesic in short operations but in operations longer than one and a half hours catheter technique, adrenaline addition or local anaesthetics of longer duration ought to be used.