Journal of Anesthesiology and Pain

Background and aims: Percutaneus nephrolithotrips is commonly used for the removal of
stones. This procedure can be performed under general or spinal anesthesia. In this study we
evaluated amount of Bleeding and transfusion needs between two mentioned anesthesia routes.
Methods and materials: A total of 80 ASA I-II patients undergoing PCNL were randomly
allocated to receive spinal anesthesia (3 ml bupivacain % 0. 5) or general anesthesia which was
induced with Thiopentone and maintained with propofol. Estimated blood loss and transfusion
rates, postoperative pain (scored from 0 to 10 on a visual analog scale), in two groups were
recorded separately then collected data were analyzed by SPSS13 software.
Results: Mean blood loss was 262±113.8 ml & 148.1±55.8 ml in general & spinal group,
respectively. There is meaningful difference between two groups (p<0.001).
Rate of transfusion was 7.5 % in general group & no one in spinal group .The spinal group had
better patient satisfaction and lower pain scores (p<0.001). Post operative pain after 1 hr (VAS)
was 4.2± 1.0.1 & 2.3± 0.9 in general group & in spinal group respectively.
Conclusion: Spinal anesthesia decreased blood loss versus general anesthesia up to 50%, and
had less postoperative pain score and is an attractive alternative to general anesthesia in these
patients