Propofol anaesthesia versus paracervical blockade with alfentanil and midazolam sedation for outpatient abortion.

Propofol anaesthesia was compared with paracervical blockade in a prospective, randomized study of 59 abortion patients. All the patients received alfentanil 0.01 mg/kg i.v. at the start of anaesthesia and were randomized into two groups. Group R (regional, 31 patients): midazolam 0.1 mg/kg i.v. and paracervical blockade with 2 x 10 ml of mepivacaine 20 mg/ml + adrenaline 0.005 mg/ml. Group G (general, 28 patients): propofol 2.0 mg/kg i.v. induction and 75% nitrous oxide in oxygen spontaneous respiration. In 10 patients from the R-group venous blood samples were taken regularly for 30 min for serum concentration measurements (gas chromatography) of mepivacaine. Pain during induction of anaesthesia was remembered by 17% in Group G and 4% in Group R, whereas 8% in Group R remembered pain during the procedure compared with none in Group G. Of the patients in Group G, 25% had apnoea compared with none in Group R. In Group R the patients slept for 2.5 +/- 3.8 min (mean +/- s.d.) after induction compared with 12 +/- 4.0 min in Group G. Except for a better p-deletion score 30 min after the procedure in Group G, there was no difference in recovery function between the groups. Of the patients in Group G, 67% experienced postoperative pain compared with 23% in Group R. Maximum serum mepivacaine concentration (Group R) was reached at 15-30 min, range 1.5-5 micrograms/ml.