Atropine Prophylaxis before Spinal Anesthesia in Young and Middle Age Males Undergoing Inguinal Hernia Repair

Abstract Background Spinal Anesthesia is a common type of anesthesia used during many surgical procedures. This regional technique can be accomplished by administering an intrathecal dose of hyperbaric local anesthetic solution. The local anesthetic within the subarachnoid space can block sensory, motor and sympathetic pathways. One of the most common complications associated with spinal anesthesia is hypotension with or without bradycardia that can increase risk of perioperative cerebral and cardiovascular events. Aim of the Work to find out the effectiveness of prophylactic administration of intravenous atropine for attenuation of spinal anesthesia induced hypotension in inguinal hernia repair surgeries. Patients and Methods Therefore, A randomized controlled clinical trial was found to be the most suitable design in order to achieve the study objectives. A total of 40 patients males included in the study, aged 15-60 years, and were divided equally into two groups: Group 1 received intravenous injection of 0.01 mg /kg atropine sulphate one minute before spinal anesthesia and fluid preloading 500 ml Ringer solution. Group 2 received the same volume of normal saline intravenous bolus. Results Prophylactic intravenous atropine sulphate 0.01 mg /kg intravenous one minute prior to spinal anesthesia in inguinal hernia repair surgeries was effective in reducing spinal anesthesia induced hypotension, incidence of hypotension was lower in atropine exposed group compared to placebo group. The incidence of ephedrine use and number of boluses of fluids were lower in atropine exposed group compared to placebo group. Conclusion among patients who received spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine for elective inguinal hernia repair, prophylactic intravenous atropine sulphate 0.01 mg /kg prior to spinal anesthesia reduced spinal anesthesia induced hypotension and reduced ephedrine use.