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To document the clinical characteristics of spinal procaine with or without the addition of fentanyl in light of the failure rate observed previously with procaine 10%.In a randomized, prospective, double-blind study, 52 patients received spinal anesthesia with 100 mg procaine and either saline 0.9% (0.4 ml) (CONTROL group) or 20 microg fentanyl (0.4 ml) (FENTANYL group). Sensory anesthesia to needle prick was evaluated each minute for ten minutes, every three minutes for 33 minutes and every five minutes until regression to T10. Motor block was assessed with the Bromage scale. Patients were questioned by telephone for pain suggesting transient radicular irritation (TRI) 48 hr later.Mean time to reach highest sensory level, maximum number of segments blocked and mean time for regression of the sensory level to T10 showed no difference. Time to recuperate to full flexion of knees and feet (Bromage 4) showed no difference. Nine patients had nausea (five in CONTROL group and four in FENTANYL group) and nine had pruritus (three in CONTROL group and six in FENTANYL group). No patient reported pain suggesting TRI.Spinal procaine is appropriate for short-duration surgery. Fentanyl does not change the characteristics of the block or the incidence of side effects associated with spinal procaine.

To compare spinal procaine to spinal lidocaine with regard to their main clinical characteristics and incidence of transient radicular irritation (TRI).In this randomized, double-blind, prospective study, patients (two groups, n=30 each) received either 100 mg of lidocaine 5% in 7.5% glucose (Group L) or 100 mg of procaine 10% diluted with 1 ml cerebrospinal fluid (Group P). After spinal anesthesia, segmental level of sensory block was assessed by pinprick. Blood pressure and the height of the block were noted each minute for the first ten minutes, then every three minutes for the next 35 min and finally every five minutes until regression of the block to L4. Motor blockade was evaluated using the Bromage scale. To evaluate the presence of TRI, each patient was questioned 48 hr after surgery.Time to highest sensory level and to maximum number of segments blocked showed no difference between groups. Mean time for sensory regression to T10 and for regression of the motor block were shorter in Group P. Eighty minutes following injection, sensory levels were lower in Group P. Five patients had inadequate surgical anesthesia in Group P and only one in Group L. No patient in Group P had TRI (95% CI 10-12%) while eight (27%) in Group L did (95% CI 12-46%).Procaine 10% was associated with a clinical failure rate of 14.2%. This characteristic must be balanced against an absence of TRI, which occurs more frequently with the use of lidocaine 5%.

Purpose: To document the clinical characteristics of procaine with or without the addition of epinephrine. Methods: In this randomized, prospective, double blind study, 62 patients received spinal anesthesia with 100 mg procaine and either 0.3 mg epinephrine (EPI group) or 0.3 ml NaG 0.9% (SALINE group). Sensory anesthesia to needle prick was evaluated q I rain for I 0 min, q 3 rain for 33 rain and q 5 rain until regression to L 4. Motor block was assessed with the Bromage scale. Patients were questioned, by telephone, for transient radicular irritation (-I-RI) 48 hr later. Results: Time to reach highest sensory level and number of segments blocked showed no difference. Mean time for regression of the sensory level to T t 0 was longer in EPI (83 --+ 23 vs 66 -+- 20 rain, P < 0.01). Time to recuperate to full flexion of knees and feet (Bromage 4) was longer in EPI (I 26 - 37 vs 100 _-_ 30 rain, P < 0.0 I). Patients in EPI received more ephedrine. Eighteen patients had nausea (15 EPI 13 SALINE, P < 0.0015). One patient had TRI, incidence: 1.67%, 95% Cl (< I%-9%). Cond~ion: Spinal procaine is appropriate for surgery of short duration. Epinephrine prolongs sensory and motor blocks by 25%. However, it is associated with a high incidence of nausea.

La region du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean est le principal producteur de bleuet nain (Vaccinium angustifoliwn Ait.) au Quebec avec une production annuelle atteignant 8 000 a 10 000 tonnes metriques. La presque totalite des bleuets est destinee a la transformation. Le developpement de nouveaux marches et la consolidation de ceux deja acquis"exigent une production annuelle constante et de bonne qualite. Or, le volume de production varie considerablement d'une annee a l'autre. Cette irregularite est due en grande partie au climat, principalement au gel et a la secheresse. L'irrigation par aspersion peut contrer les effets nefastes du gel radiatif de faible intensite et de la secheresse sur la production et peut meme contribuer a en ameliorer la qualite. L'irrigation modifie la teneur en eau du sol. L'effet de la teneur en eau du sol sur le rendement et la qualite des fruits du bleuet nain a donc ete verifie sur des plants de bleuets en premiere annee de production au cours de la saison 1993. Une evaluation de l'effet de differentes conditions de teneur en eau du sol sur le nombre, la masse et la taille des fruits a d'abord ete effectuee. Par la suite, une verification de l'effet de ces memes traitements sur l'apparence des bleuets, leur qualite gustative ainsi que sur leur composition chimique ete realisee. Dix-huit parcelles ont ete delimitees a l'interieur d'une bleuetiere publique puis regroupees en six blocs complets. Trois conditions de teneur en eau du sol ont ete reparties aleatoirement a l'interieur de chaque bloc: condition naturelle (Cn), condition recommandee (Cr) et condition seche (Cs). Le controle de la quantite d'eau atteignant les parcelles Cr et Cs a ete assure par des structures protectrices specialement amenagees qui bloquaient le passage aux precipitations naturelles et a l'eau d'irrigation lorsque necessaire. Les traitements ont ete appliques pendant une periode de huit semaines consecutives, du 20 juin au 16 aout 1993. L'analyse des donnees de rendement a permis de constater que le nombre de fruits, la taille et la masse des fruits ne varient pas significativement (p