Epidural anesthesia and the lateral position.
The effect of the lateral position on the onset, maximum spread, and duration of anesthesia were observed using a standardized epidural anesthetic technic. Anesthesia appeared 2 minutes earlier on the dependent side, spread 2 spinal segments higher, and lasted 75 minutes longer. These results support the clinical practice of placing the patient in the lateral position with the operative side dependent for induction of epidural anesthesia.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011187:Posture