European journal of anaesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effects of S(+) ketamine added to bupivacaine for spinal anaesthesia for prostate surgery in elderly patients.
Intrathecal ketamine as the sole anaesthetic agent has demonstrated a lack of cardiovascular depression that should be of advantage in an elderly population. S(+) ketamine has three-times the analgesic potency of R(-) ketamine and its antinociceptive effects after intrathecal administration in rats are known. We decided to evaluate the effects of intrathecal S(+) ketamine added to a small dose of spinal bupivacaine in elderly patients undergoing transurethral prostate surgery. ⋯ Intrathecal S(+) ketamine administered with a low dose of bupivacaine provides shorter motor and sensory block onset time, shorter duration of action and less motor blockade in elderly males.