Skip to main content

Why Spinal Anesthesia Cause Hypotension?

    Every Therapeutic technique has come with adverse effects. But the therapeutic technique is allowed only if it gives more benefits than harm. Spinal anesthesia provide excellent pain relief during surgery especially in cesarean delivery (Read article on Pain relief methods during child birth). It allow surgeries while patient is conscious. Patient feels no pain below the level of spinal anesthesia. Spinal Anesthesia has lesser complications as compared to general anesthesia.


Spinal Anesthesia has its own complications and side effects. One of the complications of of spinal anesthesia is hypotension.

Q: Why spinal anesthesia Cause Hypotension?

Our vessels are supplied with autonomic nerve fibers. These nerve fibers originate from spinal cord and supply the vessels of lower limbs. These nerve fibers maintain a muscular tone in the blood vessels and don’t allow vessels to over-dilate and prevent pooling of blood. This mechanism help to maintain blood pressure. Major pooling of the blood takes place in the vessels especially in veins of the lower limbs.

In spinal anesthesia we block the all the nerve impulses below the level of anesthesia. The autonomic nerve supply is also blocked in addition to sensory and motor blockage. Blockage of autonomic stimulation result in loss of vascular tone and vessels dilate. Vessels can’t maintain blood pressure, they dilate and pooling of blood takes place. This results in circulatory hypovolumia. As Blood pools in the vessels of lower limbs instead of circulating through out the body. When you measure blood pressure in such patient, It will give you lower readings. Because little amount of blood reach upper limb. Patient become pale, breathless, anxious and in the end unconscious. Tachycardia (increase in heart rate) is the first sign of hypotension. Spinal anesthesia may cause disastrous consequences in a person who already has low blood pressure, or is dehydrated.


Q: How to Prevent Hypotension in Spinal Anesthesia?

Proper history, examination and investigations must be carried out before surgery. Opinion of anesthesiologist should be followed and only he should decide whether patient is fit for spinal anesthesia or not.

Preventive Measures:

  • Measure the blood pressure before surgery and make sure that patient is not hypotensive (hypo = low).
  • If patient is hypertension (hyper = high) and is on medication then closely monitor his blood pressure.
  • Hydrate the patient, before, during and after the surgery if there is risk of hypotension.
  • Monitor the heart rate, blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation during the surgery.
  • Shift the patient to ICU after surgery and closely monitor his heart rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Human Parasites, Types of Parasites, and Classification

Parasite: A parasite is a living organism which gets nutrition and protection from another organism where it lives. Parasites enter into the human body through mouth, skin and genitalia. In this article, we will generally discuss the types and classification of parasites. It is important from an academic point of view. Those parasites are harmful, which derives their nutrition and other benefits from the host and host get nothing in return but suffers from some injury. Types of Parasites Ecto-parasite: An ectoparasite lives outside on the surface of the body of the host. Endo-parasite: An endo-parasite lives inside the body of the host, it lives in the blood, tissues, body cavities, digestive tract or other organs. Temporary parasite: A temporary parasite visits its host for a short period of time. Permanent parasite: Permanent parasite lives its whole life in the host. Facultative parasite: A facultative parasite can live both independently and dependently. It lives in the

How to taper off, wean off beta blocker, atenolol, Propranolol, Metoprolol

Beta blockers include, atenolol (Tenormin), propranolol (Inderal ) and metoprolol (Lopressor) and are used to treat high blood pressure, certain cardiac problems, migraine and few other conditions. People usually take atenolol, propranolol or metoprolol for many years as a treatment of high blood pressure or after having an episode of heart attack . Sometimes, it becomes necessary to withdraw these beta blockers due to their potential side effects that trouble the patients or sometimes doctor wants to change the drug and shift the patient to some other anti-hypertensive medicine. No matter whatever the cause is, whenever, a patient who has been using a beta blocker for a long period of time, and he needs to be stopped from further usage of that beta blocker, must not stop taking it. One should taper off the dose of a beta blocker. Now a question arises how to wean off or taper off a beta blocker? The method of tapering off beta blocker varies from individual to individual. Allow you