Anaesthesia for day care surgeries: comparasion between thoracic and lumbar spinal anaesthesia

Background: Day care surgeries are becoming increasingly popular in the modern times. Hence day care anaesthesia has emerged as one of the fastest growing branches in modern anaesthetic practice. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is one of the most commonly performed day care surgeries. In this study we aimed at evaluating two different approaches for day care anaesthesia in laparoscopic cholecystectomies – thoracic vs lumbar. Materials and methods: 60 ASA 1 and 2 patients who were scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomies were divided into two groups. Group T received 10mg (2 ml) of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine + 25 µg (0.5 ml) fentanyl in thoracic spinal anaesthesia. Whereas group L received 15mg ( 3ml) of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine + 25 µg ( 0.5 ml) fentanyl in lumbar spinal anaesthesia. Results: Thoracic approach provided a faster onset, shorter duration of sensory and motor block and minimal haemodynamic alterations than lumbar approach. Conclusion: Thoracic spinal anaesthesia is more suited to day care surgeries than lumbar spinal anaesthesia.