Comparison of effects of 5% Lidocaine and 5% Meperidine plus 5% Lidocaine on complications and duration of postoperative analgesia for cesarean section

Introduction: Nowadays, spinal anesthesia is associated with few complications in many surgical practices especially the elective caesarean which is taken as a suitable replacement for general anesthesia. Different drugs are used for spinal anesthesia. This study aims to compare lidocaine 5% in combination with meperidine 5% plus lidocaine 5% for spinal anesthesia in non-emergency cesarean patients.  Methods: This is a double-blind clinical trial that Was performed on fifty full term pregnant women, physical status I or II, presenting for non-emergency cesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups with 25 in each. All patient received IV 15 ml/kg Ringers solution 15 minutes prior to block. For spinal anesthesia, patients were given either 5% Meperidine 1.25 mg/kg or 5% heavy Lidocaine 60-75 mg intrathecally. The sensory blockade in all except two patients in Lidocaine group and one patient in Meperidine group, who required sedation and analgesia during surgery, was adequate for cesarean section. Data were analyzed by spss software.  Results: Post-operation analgesia duration was 342.5±18.5 minutes in the lidocaine plus meperidine group and was 131.6±15 minutes in the lidocaine group. The mean difference of blood pressure before and 15 min after blockage was not significant in the lidocaine group and lidocaine plus meperidine group.  Conclusions: It seems that lidocaine-meperidine combination has stronger medical effects than lidocaine used alone. Besides, the combination can be a proper drug for spinal anesthesia given the longer analgesia duration and lack of significant complications for the patient or adverse effects on the baby.