Direction of the Whitacre 26G needle aperture and level of subdural blockade achieved by ropivacaine 0.75% in planned caesarean section

The scope of this study was to investigate if changing the direction of the Whitacre 26G needle aperture in regional anaesthesia during planned caesarean section produces a difference in the dose-response curves of the level of subdural blockade achieved by ropivacaine 0.75% and a standard dose of opioid. One hundred and twenty healthy parturients were blindly randomised in two groups, with 5 subgroups of 12 women each.