Abstract
We present a case of bacterial meningitis in a 32-year-old parturient following combined spinal-epidural analgesia for labour. The patient made a full recovery with no residual neurological sequelae, but important lessons were learnt. Firstly, investigating obstetricians and physicians were unaware that a combined spinal-epidural technique included an intrathecal component, so did not consider treating organisms that might be acquired by this route. Anaesthetists, on the other hand, in the absence of an isolated organism, saw this as a likely combined spinal-epidural complication. Infectious disease experts eventually diagnosed community-acquired meningococcal meningitis by analysing bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragments using polymerase chain reaction studies. This test and the management of suspected meningitis in the post-partum period are discussed.
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