BACKGROUND In this study, lidocaine concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at different interspaces were measured with or without preceding spinal anesthesia, 10 min after epidural injection of lidocaine, to investigate the effects of preceding meningeal puncture on CSF concentrations of epidurally administered local anesthetic. METHODS Sixty patients scheduled to receive combined spinal...

BACKGROUND/AIM Postdural puncture backache (PDPB) is the most frequent complaint after spinal anesthesia. In the literature its importance is generally overshadowed by postdural puncture headache. We studied two different kinds of spinal anesthesia needles to compare their technical handling capacities and incidences of PDPB. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data of 256 pregnant female patients undergoi...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Unilateral spinal anesthesia may be advantageous, especially in the outpatient setting. Low local anesthetic doses, slow spinal injection rate and the lateral position have been related to the easiness of inducing unilateral spinal anesthesia. This study aimed at investigating the possibility of inducing unilateral spinal anesthesia with isobaric 0.5% bupivacaine. ME...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine which type of spinal needle is preferred from a cost perspective, taking into account costs of the spinal needle and treatment of postlumbar puncture headache. METHODS A decision-analytic model was created to determine the cost of diagnostic lumbar punctures using atraumatic and cutting needles. We assumed a health care system perspective and b...

BACKGROUND Traumatic placement of a needle during a neuraxial blockade has been related to many complications such as postdural puncture headache, trauma to neural structures and even spinal hematoma, causing permanent neurologic deficits. Although efforts to minimize the complications caused by traumatic neuraxial blockade have been made, nothing was found to be clear. The authors investigated...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Skin fragments during lumbar punctures may develop intraspinal epidermoid tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of epithelial cells that reflow along with the fi rst and third drops of CSF of patients undergoing spinal anesthesia. METHODS Samples of the fi rst and third drops of cerebrospinal fluid were collected from 39 adult patients undergoi...

Normal saline or air is used to identify loss of resistance during identification of the epidural space for combined spinal-epidural analgesia. Following epidural needle placement using air for loss of resistance, up to 80% of parturients move, grimace, vocalise or experience paraesthesia or dysaesthesia during subsequent dural puncture by a spinal needle. We compared the effects of saline vers...

I read the recent article by Garg,(1) in which the author described the use of a spinal needle stylet to replace a faulty intravenous cannula. The technique is useful; however, there are some concerns. We have tried the stylet of a 26-G spinal needle for the exchange of a 24-G cannula in ten paediatric patients and have the following observations to make. The exchange was successful in only one...

BACKGROUND The postdural puncture headache (PDPH) and postdural puncture backache (PDPB) are well-known complications of spinal anesthesia. There are some attempts to reduce the frequency of complication such as different design of the spinal needles. AIMS The primary outcome of this study is to compare the incidence of PDPH between 26-gauge Atraucan and 26-gauge Quincke spinal needles in ele...

Spinal anesthesia is one of the most used anesthetic techniques, having been in existence for over 100 years, and time it has improved by development a new needle design, gauge, tip shapes, as well more precise indications contraindications. However, even so, there are still possible complications due to this procedure, especially headache after puncture dura mater, and, because that, procedure...