[The spread of subarachnoid hyperbaric dibucaine in the term parturient]

To study the effect of patient's age, height, body mass index (BMI), site of injection, and volume injected on determining the spread of hyperbaric spinal anesthesia in the term parturient, we performed a retrospective analysis on 86 parturients who had received 0.3% hyperbaric dibucaine for cesarean section. All patients received subarachnoid injection of the drug in the left lateral decubitus position on a horizontal operating table. After the drug was injected, the final cephalad level of analgesia to pinprick was measured. Multiple regression analysis revealed that BMI and volume injected had relatively stronger relation with the spread of sensory analgesia, when compared to the others. However, neither of them was a significant determinant of the level of analgesia. In conclusion, patient's age, height, BMI, site of injection and volume injected were not significant determinants of hyperbaric dibucaine spinal anesthesia in the term parturient.