[Postspinal headache -- a clinical problem (author's transl)]. / Zur Problematik des postspinalen Kopfschmerzes.

A prospective study was made in 255 patients following spinal anaesthesia to detect the incidence of post operative headache, reference also being made to the size of needle used for lumbar puncture. There was a difference in the frequency of headache related to the size of needle used (9.7% with 22 gauge needle as against 6.7% with 25 gauge needle). Also the value of prophylaxis of headache by means of an epidural blood patch was shown (1.3%). Age also played a role, the older the patient, the less the risk of headache. The social class of the patient played no role at all.

[Spinal anaesthesia using bupivacain--clinical experience of more than 6000 cases (author's transl)]. / Klinische Verläufe von über 6000 Spinalanaesthesien mit Bupivacain.

The following report of our experience using isobaric Bupivacaine 0.5% in 6,228 operations (intrathecal technique) will consider the intra operative period. In 55.8% of cases the lower extremities were operated upon and in 44.2% the lower abdomen. In 1,487 cases (23.9%) side effects/complications were evident and a classification of such is as follows: anaesthetic technique 5.29%, cardiorespiratory 15.69%, operator/operative technique 6.13%. The percentage remained relatively constant irrespective of age but a higher pre op risk classification (A.S.A. System) resulted in a marked increase in the above figures. The principal side effects encountered were as follows: Bradycardia 7.5%, hypotonia 6.3%, insufficient analgesia 3.9%, extrasystoles 2.9%. Grave complications occured in 0.15% and within this group 4 patients died intraoperatively; a relationship with the mode of anaesthesia has not been proven.

[The use of nerve stimulators for nerve blocks (author's transl)]. / Die Anwendung des Nervenstimulators zur Nervenblockade.

The clinical experience using peripheral nerve stimulators for nerve blocks is described. This method has the advantage that the patient cooperation is not required. In addition injections of local anaesthetic agents can be placed more accurately and therefore the total dose may be lowered. Thus successful injection is more probable and the possibility of an inadequate block, a Wedensky block, is diminished. 301 therapeutic blocks and 195 blocks for clinical anaesthesia are described.