The clinical use of small-dose tetracaine spinal anesthesia for transurethral prostatectomy

In a double-blinded study, we compared conventional dose tetracaine (8 mg), small-dose tetracaine (4 mg) with added fentanyl and epinephrine, and small-dose tetracaine (4 mg) with added fentanyl subarachnoid anesthesia. Forty-five patients scheduled for transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) under subarachnoid anesthesia were randomly assigned to Group 1 (8 mg hyperbaric tetracaine), Group 2 (4 mg hyperbaric tetracaine, 10 μg fentanyl, and 0.2 mg epinephrine), and Group 3 (4 mg hyperbaric tetracaine, 10 μg fentanyl, and 0.2 mL saline). Evaluations were performed after spinal anesthesia. Subarachnoid block was successful in all patients except one in Group 1, who required general anesthesia by mask. The median peak sensory levels 10 min after the induction of spinal anesthesia in Group 1 was T8, which was significantly higher than Group 2 and Group 3 (P < 0.05). The time of sensory and motor recovery in Group 3 was less than in Groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.05). Hypotension was observed in four patients in Group 1 and none in Groups 2 and 3. We conclude that small-dose 4-mg hyperbaric tetracaine plus 10 μg fentanyl might provide adequate anesthesia and fewer side effects for TURP when compared with the conventional (8 mg) dose.