RT Journal
A1 Winnie AP
T1 SPinal anesthesia for hip pinning given with the patient supine
JF JAMA
JO JAMA
YR 1969
FD March 3
VO 207
IS 9
SP 1663
OP 1666
DO 10.1001/jama.1969.03150220079007
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1969.03150220079007
AB It is common practice when administering a spinal anesthetic to a patient with a fractured hip to give the anesthetic to the patient before moving him or her to the fracture table. This requires that the patient then be moved to the fracture table shortly after a chemical sympathectomy. The result is an excessively high incidence of hypotension; in this elderly and frequently debilitated group of patients, hypotension all too often does irreparable damage. By administering the anesthetic to the patient on the fracture table, the need to move the patient after the onset of anesthesia is avoided. This simple change in technique has been shown to reduce the incidence of hypotension by more than two thirds and the mortality by more than one half.