Intravenous regional analgesia using bupivacaine. A double blind comparison with lignocaine.

A double-blind comparison of bupivacaine and lignocaine for intravenous regional analgesia (Bier's block) was carried out in seventy-two patients presenting for upper limb surgery. Thirty-eight patients received lignocaine and thirty-four received bupivacaine. Onset of analgesia and recovery times were similar for the two drugs. The degree of both analgesia and muscle relaxation was significantly better in the bupivacaine group. Adverse effects were seen only in patients who had received lignocaine and these were unrelated to the tourniquet time.