Spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery with meperidine as the sole agent

Abstract

Meperidine, a phenylpiperidine opioid analgesic, has been noted to have local anesthetic properties when injected intrathecally. The majority of reports using meperidine as the sole agent for spinal anesthesia have included only patients undergoing lower extremity, perineal or urologic procedures.‘-4 The use of intrathecal meperidine to provide anesthesia for major intra-abdominal surgery, such as cesarean delivery, has been reported only in abstract form.’ Moreover, the degree of neonatal exposure to meperidine after maternal intrathecal injection is unknown. We describe here our experience with a patient in whom extenuating medical circumstances prompted the use of this unconventional anesthetic technique.