Objective : The authors assessed the effectiveness of the administration of fentanyl in spinal anesthesia for appendectomy.
Material and Method : Forty patients randomized double-blind, were recruited to receive either 4 ml of 0.5 % hyperbaric bupivacaine + 20 mg of fentanyl (Group F) or 4 ml of 0.5 % hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5 % + 0.4 ml normal saline (Group S).
Results : There were no significant differences in the highest analgesic level between the groups. The number of segments regressed at 60 min in Group F was statistically less than in Group S (0 vs. 2; P 0.002). Group F showed significantly lower median VNS pain scores than Group S (0 vs. 3; P 0.004). Time to first required postoperative analgesics in Group F was significantly higher than in Group S (13.6 vs. 6.3 h; P < 0.001). The incidence of shivering in Group F was significantly lower than Group S (35 % vs. 70 %; P 0.023). There were no significant differences in the incidence of nausea, vomiting, hypotension and urinary retention. No patient developed respiratory depression or PDPH. The patients’ satisfaction of spinal anesthesia was 100 % in Group F and 80 % in Group S.
Conclusion : Intrathecal 20 μg fentanyl significantly improved the quality of analgesia; it prolonged the duration of bupivacaine in spinal anesthesia and delayed the analgesics requirement in the early postoperative period. Shivering was less frequently found in the fentanyl group.

Keywords : Intrathecal, Fentanyl, Spinal anesthesia, Appendectomy