Spinal Anaesthesia with Small-Dose Bupivacaine and Fentanyl in Elderly Patients undergoing TURP: Adverse Events and Patient Satisfaction

Abstract

This interventional study shows the effects of small doses of bupivacaine used in spinal anaesthesia (SA) among elderly patients undergoing transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). Forty elderly men aged 60 years and above undergoing TURP were randomized into comparable two groups to receive bupivacaine 7.5 mg with fentanyl 25 ug (group I) and bupivacaine 5.0 mg with fentanyl 25 ug (group II). None of the patients required supplemental analgesia during the surgery. Adverse events occurrence were less among group II. On the second post operative day 95% of the patients in group II and 85% in group I rated the anaesthesia as very good as estimated by verbal response scale. We found that 5.0 mg of bupivacaine with 25 ug of fentanyl provides satisfactory anaesthesia for TURP in the elderly. Key-words: Spinal anaesthesia, TURP, elderly, bupivacaine, fentanyl