Epidural Anesthetic Dose Responses in Patients 20 to 80 Years Old

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Abstract
Epidural dose requirements in patients have been reported for every decade of age expressed as a segmental dose requirement (SDR), i.e., the number of milliliters of local anesthetic needed to anesthetize 1 spinal segment. To examine the validity of the segmental dose concept and to define anesthetic levels that develop after epidural injection of various doses of local anesthetic, 81 patients 20-80 yr of age were studied. Of these 81 patients, 12 had epidural anesthesia on 2 or more occasions, so that data from 103 anesthetic administrations were available. Results are presented according to 3 age groups to demonstrate changes in anesthetic dose response with age. The decline in dose requirement with age was verified, but the relationship is more complex than originally proposed.

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