ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The risks of epidural analgesia (EA) differ depending on the population studied. We describe our experience with postoperative EA for oncologic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched our Acute Pain Medicine database for cases in which postoperative EA was used between 2003 and 2012. We used word search to identify and catalog cases of neurological changes, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography of the spine, electromyography studies, and neurologist or neurosurgeon consultations. Medical records of patients with documented persistent neurological deficits and patients who had spine imaging or neurology consultations were reviewed further. In addition, we cross-checked medical records with billing diagnosis codes for spinal epidural abscess or hematoma. RESULTS: We reviewed 18,895 cases in which postoperative EA was used. Complications included neurological symptoms in 2436 cases (12.9%), epidural insertion site abnormalities in 1062 cases (5.6%), complete epidural catheter migration in 829 cases (4.4%), epidural replacement in 619 cases (3.3%), and inadvertent dura puncture in 322 cases (1.7%). There were 6 cases of persistent deficits of uncertain etiology, 4 deep spinal infections (1:4724), and 2 cases of catheter tip shearing. No spinal epidural hematomas were identified (95% confidence interval, 0-0.0002). DISCUSSION: Our findings provide a contemporary review of some risks associated with the use of postoperative EA for patients undergoing oncologic surgery. Despite a not-uncommon incidence of neurological changes, serious complications resulting in prolonged sequelae were rare.
Subject(s)
Analgesia, Epidural/adverse effects , Neoplasms/surgery , Pain, Postoperative/etiology , Postoperative Complications/etiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Middle Aged , Young AdultABSTRACT
The use of epidural analgesia in conjunction with subcutaneous administration of unfractionated heparin 3 times per day could increase the risk of spinal epidural hematoma, but insufficient patient experience data exist to determine this. We retrospectively reviewed the incidence of spinal epidural hematoma in 3705 cases at our institution over a 7-year period of patients receiving acute postoperative epidural analgesia and heparin 3 times per day. No cases of spinal epidural hematoma were reported (95% CI, 0-0.0009952).
Subject(s)
Analgesia, Epidural/methods , Anticoagulants/administration & dosage , Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal/epidemiology , Heparin/administration & dosage , Neoplasms/surgery , Pain, Postoperative/drug therapy , Analgesia, Epidural/adverse effects , Anticoagulants/adverse effects , Drug Administration Schedule , Female , Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal/chemically induced , Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal/diagnosis , Heparin/adverse effects , Humans , Incidence , Injections, Spinal , Injections, Subcutaneous , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasms/blood , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Neoplasms/epidemiology , Pain, Postoperative/diagnosis , Pain, Postoperative/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , Risk Factors , Texas/epidemiology , Time Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Background and Objectives. Previous studies have used varying methods to estimate the depth of the epidural space prior to placement of an epidural catheter. We aim to use computed tomography scans, patient demographics, and vertebral level to estimate the depth of the loss of resistance for placement of thoracic epidural catheters. Methods. The records of consecutive patients who received a thoracic epidural catheter were reviewed. Patient demographics, epidural placement site, and technique were collected. Preoperative computed tomography scans were reviewed to measure the skin to epidural space distance. Linear regression was used for a multivariate analysis. Results. The records of 218 patients were reviewed. The mean loss of resistance measurement was significantly larger than the mean computed tomography epidural space depth measurement by 0.79 cm (p < 0.001). Our final multivariate model, adjusted for demographic and epidural technique, showed a positive correlation between the loss of resistance and the computed tomography epidural space depth measurement (R (2) = 0.5692, p < 0.0001). Conclusions. The measured loss of resistance is positively correlated with the computed tomography epidural space depth measurement and patient demographics. For patients undergoing thoracic or abdominal surgery, estimating the loss of resistance can be a valuable tool.
