Recovery times from subarachnoid blocks using bupivacaine hydrochloride and tetracaine hydrochloride with and without epinephrine.

This retrospective study examined the length of time patients spent in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) recovering from a subarachnoid block with either bupivacaine hydrochloride or tetracaine hydrochloride with and without epinephrine after total knee replacement surgery or total hip replacement surgery. One hundred subjects' charts were reviewed with 50 subjects receiving a subarachnoid block with bupivacaine (25 had epinephrine added to the bupivacaine) and 50 subjects receiving a subarachnoid block with tetracaine (25 had epinephrine added to the tetracaine). There were no statistical differences among the groups with respect to age, height, weight, dose of local anesthetic, and length of surgical procedure. Patient who received tetracaine stayed longer in the PACU (64.44 minutes) and took longer to bend their knees (73.17 minutes), flex their hips (99.65 minutes), and have return of sensation (68.88 minutes), compared to those who had received bupivacaine (P < .05). When epinephrine was added to the local anesthetic, it prolonged the time until the return of knee flexion, hip flexion, and sensation by 66.82, 87.65, and 76.77 minutes respectively (P < .05).