VENOUS PLASMA (TOTAL) BUPIVACAINE CONCENTRATIONS FOLLOWING LOWER ABDOMINAL FIELD BLOCK

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Abstract
Following local anaesthesia of the lower abdominal wall, in patients undergoing laparoscopic sterilization (n = 16), using 0.5% plain bupiv acaine 40 ml (n = 8), or 0.5% bupivacaine with 1:200 000 adrenaline (n = 8), venous plasma (total) bupivacaine concentrations were measured (gas-liquid chromatography) at intervals up to 2 h after the local anaesthetic was injected. Mean peak plasma venous concentration achieved following 0.5% plain bupivacaine was 2.23 ± 0.24 pg ml−1 (mean ± SEM), while the mean peak concentration following 0.5% bupivacaine with adrenaline was 0.98 ± 0.10 pg ml−1 (mean ± SEM). At all sampling times up to and including 45 min after the injection of local anaesthetic, the plasma concentrations were significantly less in the bupivacaine with adrenaline group when compared with the group in whom a plain solution was used.