Comparison of the effectiveness of intrathecal bupivacaine and levobupivacaine in hip surgery

Purpose: We aimed to compare the anesthetic and hemodynamic effects of intrathecally administered levobupivacaine and bupivacaine in combination with fentanyl in hip surgery. Subjects and methods: Sixty patients categorized as class 1 or 2 according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status classification, aged between 18 and 65 years and scheduled for hip surgery were randomly assigned to two groups. Patients in Group I received spinal anesthesia with 0.5 % bupivacaine 12.5 mg + fentanyl 10 µg (total 2.6 ml), and patients in Group II received 0.5 % levobupivacaine 12.5 mg + fentanyl 10 µg (total 2.6 ml) intrathecally. The level of sensory block and motor block was evaluated, and hemodynamic data were recorded. Results: The onset of sensory block and the time to two-segment regression were similar between the two groups. In the levobupivacaine group, the time to motor block onset was longer and the motor block regression time was shorter than that of bupivacaine group. The groups were similar with respect to hemodynamic data. Conclusion: We consider that levobupivacaine may be a good alternative to bupivacaine, particularly in surgical procedures where less motor block development is desired.