Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 Jun;78(6):646-52.
Epub 2012 Mar 13.

Influence of a prolonged lateral position on induction of spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial

J W Hwang  1 , A Y Oh, I A Song, H S Na, J H Ryu, H P Park, Y T Jeon, S H Do
Affiliations
  • PMID: 22410469
Free article
Randomized Controlled Trial

Influence of a prolonged lateral position on induction of spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery: a randomized controlled trial

J W Hwang et al. Minerva Anestesiol. 2012 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Maternal hypotension occurs commonly during cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. We evaluated whether hypotension due to aortocaval compression could be prevented by maintaining a lateral position after an intrathecal injection.

Methods: Eighty-six women undergoing elective cesarean delivery were enrolled. Spinal anesthesia was conducted in the right lateral position using 8 mg of hyperbaric bupivacaine and 15 µg of fentanyl. Patients were randomly assigned to maintain the right lateral position for 6 min before assuming the wedged supine position (group L), or to assume the wedged supine position immediately after the spinal injection (group S). Hypotension was defined as a decrease in mean arterial pressure to <80% of baseline. Ephedrine was given if blood pressure decreased to <70% of baseline. The incidence of hypotension and nausea, ephedrine requirement, maximal block height, and neonatal outcomes were evaluated.

Results: No significant between-group differences were observed in the lowest blood pressure, total ephedrine dose, or incidence of hypotension or nausea. Onset of hypotension was delayed (6 ± 2 vs. 10 ± 3 min, P<0.001), and the sensory block level was more cephalad in group L than in group S (T2 [C8-T5] vs. T4 [T1-T6], P=0.001). Apgar scores did not differ between the groups.

Conclusion: During spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery, maintaining the lateral position for 6 min after an intrathecal injection of hyperbaric bupivacaine resulted in a more gradual and higher cephalad sensory block, without an increase in the incidence of maternal hypotension.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources

-