Spinal Anesthesia Results In Paraplegia
Posted by
Bob CarrollSeptember 25, 2005 4:44 AM"Does the evidence support the use of spinal and epidural anesthesia for surgery?"
This is the question asked in the excellent medical journal article just published in the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia atVolume 17 • Number 5 • August 2005.
Spinal anesthesia can result in bleeding into the epidural space which, if not diagnosed and treated within a very short window of time, may lead to permanent paraplegia. Called an epidural hematoma, this is admittedly a rare occurence but a devastating one.
"Does the evidence support the use of spinal and epidural anesthesia for surgery?"
This is the question asked in the excellent medical journal article just published in the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia at Volume 17 • Number 5 • August 2005.
Spinal anesthesia can result in bleeding into the epidural space which, if not diagnosed and treated within a very short window of time, may lead to permanent paraplegia. Called an epidural hematoma, this is admittedly a rare occurence but a devastating one.
A Clearwater, FL, man underwent a "successful" surgery only to experience a large bleed into the epidural space adjacent to his spinal column due to the use of spinal anesthesia rather than general anesthesis.
Despite an observed failure to return of his neurological function of his legs in the postoperative period there was more than an 8 hour delay in proceeding to the required surgery to remove the hematoma that was pressing on his spinal cord.
The corrective surgery was not successful in obtaining any improvement in the patient's paraplegia because of the delay in the second surgery. However, the question raised by the new medical journal article is whether the spinal anesthesia should have been used in the first place.