[Subarachnoid placement of a peridural catheter with high spinal anesthesia. The advantage of 0.25 % bupivacaine].

A 72-year-old female patient was scheduled for abdominal surgery with epidural block in combination with general anesthesia. An 18 G epidural catheter was inserted through an 18 G Tuohy needle between T12 and L1 using the midline approach and the 'loss of resistance' technique. A test dose of 13 ml bupivacaine 0.25% showed no effect and a bolus of 12 ml bupivacaine 0.25% was added 8 min later. Bilateral analgesia between S5 and C4 developed over the following 17 min but was not accompanied by any cardiovascular or respiratory depression. The patient became sleepy and was finally intubated after the administration of thiopentone 175 mg and pancuronium 6 mg. There were no objections to surgery, so the hemicolectomy was continued as planned. Intraoperatively the systolic blood pressure dropped twice, to a minimum of 105 mm Hg, coinciding with eventration of the intestine, but this was reversed immediately on administration of a vasoconstrictor. Extubation of the patient was possible 90 min later on the termination of surgery, when the level of anesthesia had reached T2. A spinal X-ray with radiopaque dye showed a typical intrathecal distribution. Most remarkable in this case is the stability of the cardiovascular function which in our opinion is related to the 0.25% solution. Serious complications of an inadvertent dural puncture can be avoided or alleviated with this concentration if the epidural block is to be combined with general anesthesia.