Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Leg wrapping is an effective technique and comparable to vasopressors to prevent post- spinal
anesthesia hypotension during cesarean patients
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the effectiveness of leg wrapping in decreasing the incidence of hypotension induced by
spinal anesthesia in cesarean section.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
A prospective randomized clinical trial study conducted in the obstetric operating room at Baghdad
Teaching Hospital May 2018 to February 2019. It involved 60 full-term singleton pregnant
randomly allocated to one of two groups: Group A: Leg wrapped immediately before subarachnoid
block until the end of surgery and group B: Nonleg wrapped. Blood pressure and heart rate were
monitored before and at three-minute intervals for 20 minutes and then every five minutes until
the end of the the operation. Any decrease in systolic blood pressure ≥ 20-30% mmHg of
the baseline was considered hypotension, which was immediately treated by increasing the I.V fluid
infusion rate (Ringer solution) and by a bolus dose of epidrine 5mgIV.
RESULTS:
The Mean of MAP after three, six, nine, 12 and 15 minutes after induction of spinal anesthesia was
significantly higher among group A than that in group B). After six, nine, 12, 15, and 18 minutes,
five patients (16.7%) in group A needed ephedrine dose while in group B, 23 patients (76.7%) and
the mean of ephedrine dose needed was 0 versus 3.0, 0.48 versus 4.0, 1.0 versus 3.6, 0 versus 3.0
and 0 versus 2.0 mg respectively and these differences were statistically significant.
CONCLUSION:
Legs wrapping decrease vasopressors need in spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension