Effect of Body Mass Index on the Dose of Intrathecal Hyperbaric Bupivacaine for Elective Cesarean Section
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2007-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Combined spinal - epidural (CSE) anesthesia is a well established technique used for elective
Cesarean section. As its name suggests, it combines two anesthesia techniques - spinal and
epidural. Adjusting the dose of freezing medication for body size is not as simple as giving
a larger dose to a larger person. This study asks a simple, yet important question: does your
body mass index (BMI) influence the amount of freezing medication needed for adequate CSE
anesthesia for Cesarean section? BMI is a number calculated from your height and weight. In
patients with a higher BMI, freezing medication appears to spread farther (to a higher level)
in the spinal fluid. When freezing is too high, it can cause unwanted side effects.
Therefore, in order to provide optimal spinal anesthesia to patients with a higher BMI, it
may be advisable to administer less freezing medication. In this study, we want to find the
ideal dose of freezing medication for patients with a higher body mass index, and compare it
to the dose found to be ideal for patients with normal body mass index.
Phase:
N/A
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital