2-Chloroprocaine Versus Bupivacaine in Spinal Anaesthesia: A Randomized Controlled Study

Introduction: To cope with the increasing day care surgeries, a fast-acting, predictable anesthesia and time-efficient discharge is becoming the need of anesthesiologists. Spinal anesthesia has become popular nowadays in the day care settings due to the advent of new pencil point spinal needles. The study aims to compare 1% 2-Chloroprocaine with 0.5% Bupivacaine in spinal anesthesia with respect to the recovery from anesthesia and time taken to attain discharge readiness criterion. Methods: Around 100 patients belonging to ASA I and ASA II categories between the age group 18-60 years undergoing surgery with an expected duration of < 60 minutes were selected. Using double-blinded randomization technique, the participants were equally divided into two groups and were given either 1% 2-Chloroprocaine or 0.5% Bupivacaine. The time taken for onset and regression of sensory as well as motor block was noted. Results: The achievement of the target sensory block was faster with 2-Chloroprocaine (137.20 ± 23.21 mins) than with 0.5% Bupivacaine (270.00 ± 34.10). The mean time to achieve unassisted ambulation in the 2-Chloroprocaine group (179.72 ± 17.30 mins) was less than the Bupivacaine group (256.52 ± 21.98 mins). The discharge readiness criteria was also attained earlier in the 2-CP group (195.98 ± 15.69 mins) than the Bupivacaine group (304.74 ± 16.99 mins). The incidence of postoperative Nausea and Vomiting was seen in 2% of the patients in both groups. Conclusion: 2-Chlorprocaine is a faster acting drug when compared to Bupivacaine and it helps in faster recovery of the patients undergoing daycare surgeries. Key words: [2-Chloroprocainae, Bupivacaine, day care surgeries, recovery, spinal anesthesia.]