Does the Addition of Epinephrine Prolong the Duration of Spinal Anesthesia for Repeat Cesarean Sections?

Authors

Katrina M. Bustani, University of Central FloridaFollow
Inshad Khalil, University of Central FloridaFollow
Christina Tran, University of Central FloridaFollow
Michelle Garcia, University of Central FloridaFollow
Chelsea Mejia, University of Central FloridaFollow
Anna Coffman, University of Central FloridaFollow

Streaming Media

Files

Course Code

HSC

Course Number

4930

Faculty/Instructor

Steven Burroughs

Faculty/Instructor Email

steven.burroughs@ucf.edu

About the Author

We (Katrina, Anna, Inshad, Michelle, Chelsea, and Christina) are all Health Sciences majors, who are passionate about healthcare and our future careers! We all worked closely together to first create a slideshow presentation on the clinical trial for our HSC4930 class. After careful consideration, we felt we wanted to showcase our work, so we decided to condense our presentation into a poster and participate in the Amy Zeh showcase.

Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement

The objective of this randomized interventional clinical trial is to determine whether or not the addition of epinephrine during repeat c-sections enhances the effects and duration of spinal anesthesia. It follows a group of 68 women, who are all scheduled for a repeat cesarean section following the birth of a prior child. The women were split into 3 groups: no epinephrine, low-dose epinephrine, and high-dose epinephrine. The primary measurable outcome was the amount of time for motor and sensory recovery to the T10 vertebrae following the competition of spinal anesthesia administered during the cesarean section and was measured by pinprick sensation. The overall findings were that the no epinephrine group experienced the lowest rates of motor blockage, sensory blockage, nausea, and vomiting, but highest rates of hypotension. The low-dose epinephrine group experienced a decreased recovery time for both motor and sensory recovery and less nausea and vomiting compared to the high-dose epinephrine group, but experienced higher rates of hypotension than the high-dose. All in all, it was found that epinephrine does prolong the duration of spinal anesthesia and also creates adverse effects, like nausea and vomiting, so we do not recommend the intervention.

Keywords

cesarean section, epinephrine, spinal anesthesia, women, pregnancy

Recommended Citation

Bustani, Katrina M.; Khalil, Inshad; Tran, Christina; Garcia, Michelle; Mejia, Chelsea; and Coffman, Anna, "Does the Addition of Epinephrine Prolong the Duration of Spinal Anesthesia for Repeat Cesarean Sections?" (2024). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2024. 13.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2024spring/13