Abstract

The incidence of tourniquet pain was evaluated in three groups of patients receiving either isobaric tetracaine (IT, n = 15) or hyperbaric tetracaine with 5% dextrose (dT, n = 13) or with 5% dextran (DT, n = 13) for spinal anesthesia. The spread of sensory block was significantly greater with hyperbaric solutions (group 1: 12.1 ± 2.4 segments, group 2: 16.9 ± 2.6 segments, group 3: 17.1± 2.7 segments, p < 0.05). Tourniquet pain was observed in four patients in the IT group, in six in the dT group, and in four in the DT group. The difference was not significant. Tourniquet pain was unrelated to the level of blockade as evaluated by pinprick. Its incidence increased with tourniquet time. Addition of glucose or dextran to tetracaine in spinal anesthesia does not influence the incidence of tourniquet pain.