European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Introduction:   Spinal anaesthesia (or spinal anesthesia), also called spinal block, subarachnoid block, intradural block and intrathecal block is a form of neuraxial regional anaesthesia involving the injection of a local anaesthetic or opioid into the subarachnoid space, generally through a fine needle, usually 9 cm (3.5 in) long. It is a safe and effective form of anesthesia usually performed by anesthesiologists that can be used as an alternative to general anesthesia commonly in surgeries involving the lower extremities and surgeries below the umbilicus. Epidural anesthesia is a technique that may be used as a primary surgical anesthetic or as a resource for postoperative pain management. It is safe and relatively easy to learn and perform. Material and methods: This are a prospective study was conducted in the Department of Anesthesia at Khaja Bandanawaz Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalaburgi over a period of 1 year. Spinal anaesthesia was given under all sterilised precaution, 3 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine heavy using a 25-gauge Quincke’s spinal needle through the L3-L4 intervertebral space in the sitting posture. Before giving the local anaesthesia, each patient throughout the technique asked to report verbally any time if he feels distress. Results: Duration to perform the procedure was significantly longer with epidural than spinal block. Intraoperative fluid requirement was statistically higher in Spinal than Epidural (p<0.0001). Duration of Surgery was significantly shorter in Spinal as compared to Epidural (p=0.0019). Systolic and mean blood pressure showed statistically significant reduction in Spinal as compared to Epidural (p<0.001). Duration of ambulation was significantly shorter in Epidural as compared to Spinal (p<0.001). Conclusion: Epidural anaesthesia can be a safe alternative to spinal anaesthesia for elective inguinal hernia repair.