Effect of added epinephrine on spinal anesthesia with lidocaine

The effect of adding 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 ml of 1:1000 epinephrine to 1.5 ml of 5% lidocaine in 7.5% dextrose for spinal anesthesia was assessed in 40 patients in a double-blind study. The addition of epinephrine produced little or no clinically useful prolongation of block. There was a small reduction in the speed of decay of nerve block, but this only reached statistical significance with regard to total recovery, which took 40 to 50 minutes longer with the epinephrine-containing solutions. No difference could be seen between the three doses of epinephrine.