Abstract
EPIDURAL HEMATOMA CAN BE a catastrophic complication of epidural anesthesia and analgesia, resulting in long-lasting neurologic complications. The American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) guidelines for anticoagulation and neuraxial anesthesia recommend that epidural catheters may be removed 2 to 4 hours after stopping heparin and obtaining normal coagulation parameters. 1 Horlocker T.T. Wedel D.J. Neurologic complications of spinal and epidural anesthesia. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2000; 25: 83-98 Crossref PubMed Scopus (147) Google Scholar Heparin may be initiated as soon as 1 hour after epidural placement or removal. 1 Horlocker T.T. Wedel D.J. Neurologic complications of spinal and epidural anesthesia. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2000; 25: 83-98 Crossref PubMed Scopus (147) Google Scholar The ASRA guidelines suggest vigilant monitoring of neuromotor function for 12 hours after the removal of an epidural/spinal catheter. 1 Horlocker T.T. Wedel D.J. Neurologic complications of spinal and epidural anesthesia. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2000; 25: 83-98 Crossref PubMed Scopus (147) Google Scholar Although these guidelines may suffice when anticoagulation is transient, they may not be applicable to cases for which prolonged systemic anticoagulation is planned. The authors report the case of an epidural hematoma in which systemic heparin (bolus and infusion) was administered 1.5 hours after the removal of an epidural catheter.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
