[The sedative effects of a low dose of butorphanol combined with diazepam during spinal-epidural anesthesia (H-type anesthesia)].

The sedative effects of the low dose of butorphanol combined with diazepam during spinal-epidural (H-type) anesthesia were studied in 20 urological or gynecological patients of ASA class I or II. Patients were premedicated with 0.5mg of atropine sulfate and 50mg of hydroxyzine hydrochloride 1 hour before the operation. Spinal anesthesia was performed with 2.4 ml of 0.3% dibucaine or 2.5 ml of 3% lidocaine and if necessary 1-2% mepivacaine was administered via the catheter for maintenance of the epidural anesthesia. Butorphanol 0.5 mg and diazepam 5 mg were administered intravenously after the establishment of spinal anesthesia. We observed the condition of sedative effects, the changes in blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate, before the administration of butorphanol, 2 and 5 minutes after the administration of the drug and then every 5 minutes until the recovery was noticed. We found that the sedative effects of butorphanol combined with diazepam were clinically sufficient. Patients were sleeping for 40 minutes and then drowsy for 30 minutes with sufficient sedation. There was no complication except slight respiratory suppression. Our results suggest that the butorphanol combined with diazepam is a useful method for the sedation during spinal-epidural anesthesia.