Comparative Evaluation of Intrathecal Bupivacaine 0.5% With Intrathecal Bupivacaine 0.5% and 60-µg Buprenorphine for Postoperative Analgesia in Elective Cesarean Section Patients

INTRODUCTION: The analgesia after the C-section is a very challenging condition to the anesthetist. Various combinations of the agents have been proposed for a successful analgesia. Hence, in our study, we aimed to compare the intrathecal bupivacaine 0.5% with intrathecal bupivacaine 0.5% and 60-microgram buprenorphine for postoperative analgesia in elective C-section patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We piloted a prospective study among 40 subjects grouped equally as Group I – bupivacaine 0.5%, and Group II – bupivacaine 0.5% and 60-μg buprenorphine. We compared the clinical parameters for the pain relief by visual analog scale (VAS), the duration of the analgesia, and the side effects for the two groups. The values obtained were compared using the ANOVA test deliberating P < 0.05 as significant. RESULTS: Significant longer duration and faster onset of the analgesia were seen for the Group II than the Group I. The VAS score was higher for the Group I than Group II. Greater side effects were seen in the buprenorphine group. CONCLUSION: Within the limits of this study, beneficial effect of the bupivacaine was identified when added to the routine bupivacaine for the analgesia in the C-section.