Comparison of Ropivacaine and Levobupivacaine in High Thoracic Epidural Anesthesia

Summary

In High Thoracic Epidural Anesthesia (HTEA) the use of a local anesthetic (LA) with low cardiac toxicity is crucial as myocardial contractility is often already seriously impaired. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy, doses and side effects of ropivacaine and levobupivacaine in patients submitted to coronary artery bypass graft with HTEA and general anesthesia. The primary end point is the amount of LA drug required to maintain a VAS \< 4 when coughing in the first 24 postoperative hours.

Timeline

Start

2003-01

Primary completion

—

Completion

2005-06

Publications

• Background Olivier JF, Le N, Choiniere JL, Prieto I, Basile F, Hemmerling T. Comparison of three different epidural solutions in off-pump cardiac surgery: pilot study. Br J Anaesth. 2005 Nov;95(5):685-91. doi: 10.1093/bja/aei238. Epub 2005 Sep 23.
• Background Casati A, Putzu M. Bupivacaine, levobupivacaine and ropivacaine: are they clinically different? Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2005 Jun;19(2):247-68. doi: 10.1016/j.bpa.2004.12.003.

Drugs

Indications