Complications of spinal anesthesia; an evaluation of the complications encountered in 5,763 consecutive spinal anesthesias.

Abstract

The technic of introducing anesthetic drugs into the subarachnoid space to abolish temporarily the sensory and motor functions of several groups of spinal nerves was introduced by Bier fifty years ago. During the ensuing period spinal anesthesia has been widely utilized throughout the world. The technical simplicity of the procedure of lumbar puncture led to the administration of spinal anesthesia by the surgeon to overcome the deficiencies of other available methods of anesthesia. As the total experience with spinal anesthesia accumulated, improvements in drugs and technic took place. Today spinal anesthesia has a recognized place in the practice of anesthesiology. Two restraining influences have checked the more widespread use of spinal anesthesia, namely, the alterations in normal function accompanying the extensive block of somatic and autonomic nervous pathways and the occurrence of certain sequelae which may result from the introduction of needles, drugs or foreign material into the subarachnoid space.