title: Is crystalloid preloading useful in spinal anaesthesia in the elderly?
abstract: Sixty ASA grade 1 or 2 patients, aged 60 years or over, scheduled for surgery to the lower abdomen or lower limbs under spinal anaesthesia were allocated randomly to one of three treatment groups. Group A received 16 ml/kg of Ringer's acetate solution immediately before spinal anaesthesia, group B received 8 ml/kg and group C received no volume preload. Heart rate, arterial pressure and anaesthetic level were recorded by an independent observer. The overall incidence of systemic arterial hypotension (defined as a decrease of 25% or more in systolic arterial pressure) was 27%; there were no significant differences among groups. The overall incidence of hypotension was 60%, when temperature sensation was blocked to T7 and above (n = 25). The number of patients with hypotension which required treatment increased as block height increased above T7; at a level of T4 or higher, all patients required ephedrine. Crystalloid preloading had no effect on the incidence of hypotension after spinal anaesthesia in fit, elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: FFARCS, Underläkare, Sweden.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Coe
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Revanäs
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007022:Hypotension / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D007552:Isotonic Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007552:Isotonic Solutions; C028570:Ringer's acetate