[Use of a ternary mixture of local anaesthetics for peridural anaesthesia during urgent caesarean operation. Report on 125 cases]. / Intérêt d'un mélange ternaire d'anesthésiques locaux dans l'anesthésie péridurale pour opération césarienne urgente dans 125 observations.

125 caesarean operations are conducted under peridural anaesthesia with a mixture of local anaesthetics containing per milliliter: 2.5 mg of bupivacaine, 2.5 mg of etidocaine, 12.5 mg of lidocaine, and 5.10(-6) epinephrine. The dose injected is 23.37 +/- 1.98 ml, the volume necessary for blocking a metamer being 1.18 +/- 0.10 ml/segment. Satisfactory analgesia is obtained in 119 cases (95.2 p. cent), with adequate muscle relaxation in all cases. Block anaesthesia occurs after 5.81 +/- 0.67 min, last 197 +/- 62 min, and enable incision after 8.80 +/- 2.55 min with extraction of the infant after 13.72 +/- 2.85 min in 25 "extremely urgent" cases. Apgar is 8.98 +/- 1.62 after one minute and 9.68 +/- 1.31 after five minutes. These results prove that under perfect circumstances it is possible to get out the baby in about ten minutes.

[Maternal and fetal levels of local anaesthetics after epidural injection of a triple mixture]. / Taux maternels et foetaux d'anesthésiques locaux après injection péridurale d'un mélange ternaire.

Twenty-four parturients received an epidural injection of a 5.10(-6) adrenaline mixture containing: lidocaine 295 +/- 19 mg, bupivacaine 58 +/- 4 mg and etidocaine 58 +/- 4 mg. The mean serum levels measured in the mother (peripheral vein) and in the fetus (umbilical vein) and in the fetus (umbilical vein) and the fetus/mother ratios were, respectively:--1.05 +/- 0.47 micrograms . ml-1, 0.68 +/- 0.34 micrograms . ml-1 and 0.66 +/- 0.15 for lidocaine; --0.25 +/- 0.10 micrograms . ml-1, 0.14 +/- 0.06 micrograms . ml- and 0.51 +/- 0.16 for bupivacaine; ---0.27 +/- 0.10 micrograms . ml-1, 0.17 +/- 0.10 micrograms . ml-1 and 0.63 +/- 0.23 for etidocaine. From the sum of these concentrations the maternal and fetal serum levels and the fetus/mother ratio could be calculated in lidocaine equivalents. The values obtained were: 3.14 +/- 0.74 . ml-1, 1.90 +/- 0.68 micrograms . ml-1 and 0.60 +/- 0.13 respectively. A comparison of these data with those found in the literature led to the following conclusions: (1) The maternal serum levels of each anaesthetic drug in the mixture are the same as if it had been injected separately; (2) owing to tissue competition, the transplacental passage is increased by majoration of the free form, this being more pronounced with bupivacaine and etidocaine; (3) the circulating drug concentrations evaluated as lidocaine equivalent in the mother and fetus are comparable to those determined at the end of conventional local anaesthetic procedures.