Safety and Efficacy of Sodium Bicarbonate versus Hyaluronidase in Peribulbar Anaesthesia.

BACKGROUND 400 cases undergoing surgery for cataract under local anaesthesia were studied. Peribulbar anaesthesia involves injecting a mixture of 2% lignocaine, bupivicaine 0.5% and hyaluronidase into the peripheral space of the orbit through a single infero-lateral point. Sodium bicarbonate has been shown to reduce the time of onset of anaesthesia and pain perception when mixed with local anaesthetics. METHODS This study compared two groups of patients (200 each), one receiving hyaluronidase mixed anaesthetic and the other sodium bicarbonate buffered anaesthetic. The groups were compared for effectiveness of the anaesthesia, its onset, duration and the final visual outcome. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Sodium bicarbonate was shown to reduce the time of onset and increase the successful block rate without any adverse affects.