Risk Of Spinal Epidural Hematoma Research Articles

Literature review of spinal hematoma case reports: causes and outcomes in pediatric, obstetric, neuraxial and pain medicine cases

BackgroundThe risk of spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) has been described in the literature but the impact in various patient populations has not been assessed in the same study. We identified...

Post-Operative Spinal Epidural Hematoma: Are We Discontinuing Aspirin Early Enough?

Retrospective cohort study. (1) To compare the risk of Spinal Epidural Hematoma (SEH) associated with specific pre-operative and post-operative anticoagulation (AC) and antiplatelet medications (APM). (2) To define the incidence of SEH and identify risk factors for SEH in our population. Thoracolumbar surgeries between October 2009 and March 2020 were collected. Patients who underwent incision and drainage of a symptomatic SEH were identified. AC and APM was recorded 14 days pre-operatively and post-operatively. Demographics and intra-operative factors were recorded. Relative risk with 95% confidence interval was used, with Bonferroni-corrected P-values <.05 used for significance. 9307 surgeries were identified. 177 (1.9%) patients returned to the OR within 30 days, 37 of whom (.39%) returned due to SEH. Seven patients were on either AC or APM pre-op, and sixteen post-op. Five were on aspirin pre-operatively (RR 3.2, 95% CI 1.25-8.22, P = .015). Risk was not increased in patients on multiple agents. No AC or APM demonstrated increased risk of hematoma post-operatively, despite trends toward significance with multiple agents. The use of a drain and complicated hypertension were associated with increased risk of SEH. Pre-operative aspirin is associated with increased risk of SEH, even when appropriately discontinued. Appropriately dosed post-operative anticoagulation does not increase the risk of SEH, though being on multiple agents trends toward statistical significance and should be better studied. Surgeons should be vigilant and carefully monitor patients on pre-operative antiplatelet medications for spinal epidural hematoma.

The Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology Interdisciplinary Consensus Statement on Neuraxial Procedures in Obstetric Patients With Thrombocytopenia.

Because up to 12% of obstetric patients meet criteria for the diagnosis of thrombocytopenia in pregnancy, it is not infrequent that the anesthesiologist must decide whether to proceed with a neuraxial procedure in an affected patient. Given the potential morbidity associated with general anesthesia for cesarean delivery, thoughtful consideration of which patients with thrombocytopenia are likely to have an increased risk of spinal epidural hematoma with neuraxial procedures, and when these risks outweigh the relative benefits is important to consider and to inform shared decision making with patients. Because there are substantial risks associated with withholding a neuraxial analgesic/anesthetic procedure in obstetric patients, every effort should be made to perform a bleeding history assessment and determine the thrombocytopenia etiology before admission for delivery. Whereas multiple other professional societies (obstetric, interventional pain, and hematologic) have published guidelines addressing platelet thresholds for safe neuraxial procedures, the US anesthesia professional societies have been silent on this topic. Despite a paucity of high-quality data, there are now meta-analyses that provide better estimations of risks. An interdisciplinary taskforce was convened to unite the relevant professional societies, synthesize the data, and provide a practical decision algorithm to help inform risk-benefit discussions and shared decision making with patients. Through a systematic review and modified Delphi process, the taskforce concluded that the best available evidence indicates the risk of spinal epidural hematoma associated with a platelet count ≥70,000 × 106/L is likely to be very low in obstetric patients with thrombocytopenia secondary to gestational thrombocytopenia, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in the absence of other risk factors. Ultimately, the decision of whether to proceed with a neuraxial procedure in an obstetric patient with thrombocytopenia occurs within a clinical context. Potentially relevant factors include, but are not limited to, patient comorbidities, obstetric risk factors, airway examination, available airway equipment, risk of general anesthesia, and patient preference.

Lumbar Neuraxial Procedures in Thrombocytopenic Patients Across Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

(J Clin Anesth. 2020;61:109666) Presently, there is no agreement among experts in regards to the safe minimum threshold platelet count for lumbar neuraxial anesthetic procedures, as there are limited data available on neuraxial anesthetic procedures performed on thrombocytopenic patients. During cesarean deliveries, there are important maternal and fetal factors and side effects to consider when choosing to administer general anesthesia rather than neuraxial anesthesia. Because more data on spinal epidural hematoma are needed, Bauer and colleagues conducted this systematic review to assemble reported lumbar neuraxial procedures (lumbar puncture; spinal, epidural, or combined spinal-epidural analgesia/anesthesia; epidural catheter removal) from various thrombocytopenic populations to bring some clarity to the risk of spinal epidural hematoma.

Epidural Analgesia and Subcutaneous Heparin 3 Times Daily in Cancer Patients With Acute Postoperative Pain.

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).

Neuraxial Anesthesia in Obstetric Patients Receiving Thromboprophylaxis With Unfractionated or Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin: A Systematic Review of Spinal Epidural Hematoma.

Venous thromboembolism remains a major source of morbidity and mortality in obstetrics with an incidence of 29.8/100,000 vaginal delivery hospitalizations; cesarean delivery confers a 4-fold increased risk of thromboembolism when compared with vaginal delivery. Revised national guidelines now stipulate that the majority of women delivering via cesarean and women at risk for ante- or postpartum venous thromboembolism receive mechanical or pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. This practice change has important implications for obstetric anesthesiologists concerned about the risk of spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) among anticoagulated women receiving neuraxial anesthesia. We conducted a systematic review of published English language studies (1952-2016) and of the US Anesthesia Closed Claims Project Database (1990-2013) to identify cases of SEH associated with neuraxial anesthesia and thromboprophylaxis. We also report on SEH in obstetric patients receiving thromboprophylaxis and neuraxial anesthesia without adherence to the American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) recommendations. In our review, we initially identified 736 publications of which 10 met inclusion criteria; these were combined with the 5 cases of SEH identified in 546 obstetric Anesthesia Closed Claims reviews. None of these publications revealed SEH associated with neuraxial anesthesia and thromboprophylaxis with unfractionated heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin in obstetric patients. Based on data from 6 reports, 28 parturients had their neuraxial blockade before the minimum ASRA recommended time interval between the last anticoagulant dose and the neuraxial procedure. Based on data from 2 reports, 52 parturients received neuraxial anesthesia without their low-molecular-weight heparin dose being discontinued during the intrapartum period. Although the very low level of evidence and high heterogeneity in these reports make it difficult to draw quantitative conclusions from this systematic review, it is encouraging that this comprehensive search did not identify a single case of SEH in an obstetric patient receiving thromboprophylaxis and neuraxial anesthesia. Analysis of large-scale registries (eg, the Anesthesia Incident Reporting System of the Anesthesia Quality Institute) with more granular clinical and pharmacological data is needed to assess the impact of these practice changes on obstetric SEH incidence. In the interim, optimal care of obstetric patients depends on multidisciplinary planning of anticoagulation dosing to facilitate neuraxial anesthesia and thoughtful weighing of the relative risks and benefits of providing versus withholding neuraxial in favor of general anesthesia.

Neuraxial Anesthesia in Parturients With Low Platelet Counts

(Abstracted from Anesth Analg, 123:165–167, 2016) Clinicians who perform obstetric anesthesia must consider the risk of spinal-epidural hematoma in patients with thrombocytopenia when deciding whether to administer neuraxial anesthesia. Unfortunately, however, there is a paucity of data studying this potential complication that might assist in decision making.

Neuraxial Anesthesia in Parturients with Low Platelet Counts.

The obstetric anesthesiologist must consider the risk of spinal-epidural hematoma in patients with thrombocytopenia when choosing to provide neuraxial anesthesia. There are little data exploring this complication in the parturient. In this single-center retrospective study of 20,244 obstetric patients, the incidence of peripartum thrombocytopenia (platelet count <100,000/mm) was 1.8% (368 patients). Of these patients, 69% (256) received neuraxial anesthesia. No neuraxial hematoma occurred in any of our patients. The upper 95% confidence limit for spinal-epidural hematoma in patients who received neuraxial anesthesia with a platelet count of <100,000/mm was 1.2%.

Re-discussion about the effects of aspirin on surgery and spinal epidural anesthesia during the perioperative period

Background There are no specific, widely accepted recommendations for the perioperative management of patients with cardiovascular disease(CVD) receiving antiplatelet therapy, and performing neuraxial anesthesia in patients receiving antiplatelet therapy is controversial due to the increased risk of spinal epidural hematoma. Objective To review the mechanism of action of aspirin and the clinical literature for relationships among aspirin dosage, efficacy, and safety. Content With a high prevalence of CVD, the appropriate perioperative management of high-risk patients treated with aspirin is a common clinical problem for surgeons and anesthetists. For this reason, many treatment decisions have to be made for patients with CVD who need cardiac and non-cardiac surgery. Trend Perioperative antithrombotic management is based on risk assessment for thromboembolism and bleeding, and recommended approaches aim to simplify patient management and minimize negative clinical outcomes by multidisciplinary teams. Key words: Anticoagulation treatment; Aspirin; Surgery; Regional anesthesia; Risk analysis

Large Increase in Blood Pressure After Extubation and High Body Mass Index Elevate the Risk of Spinal Epidural Hematoma After Spinal Surgery.

Matched case-control study. To identify factors other than a multilevel procedure that increase the risk of symptomatic postoperative spinal epidural hematoma (SEH). Postoperative SEH is a potentially devastating complication of spinal surgery. Previous studies that reported risk factors for postoperative SEH all identified a multilevel procedure as a risk factor, but the other risk factors remain unclear. Patients who developed postoperative SEH requiring surgical evacuation were identified from database. Each patient was matched with 3 controls who underwent spinal decompression at the same number of levels in the same part of the spine by the same surgeon during the preceding or following year. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for postoperative SEH to obtain adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Clinical outcomes after evacuation were investigated separately divided with or without severe paralysis or time until the second surgery. Postoperative SEH evacuation was performed after 32 of 8250 (0.39%) spinal decompression procedures. The incidence was significantly higher after thoracic procedures (2.41%) than after cervical (0.21%) or lumbar (0.39%) procedures. Multivariate analysis identified a 50 mm Hg or greater increase in systolic blood pressure after extubation (adjusted odds ratio: 3.22, 95% confidence interval: 1.22-8.51) and higher body mass index (adjusted odds ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.31) as risk factors. Among 14 patients with severe paralysis due to postoperative SEH, those who underwent evacuation within 24 hours of the onset had a significantly better improvement in clinical outcome and Frankel grade than did those after 24 hours. A 50 mm Hg or greater increase in systolic blood pressure after extubation and high body mass index were identified as risk factors for SEH. Appropriate blood pressure control especially at the end of surgery is important for the prevention of postoperative SEH, particularly in obese patients. 3.

The influence of new antithrombotic drugs on regional anesthesia

Antithrombotic drugs are known to increase the risk of spinal epidural hematoma after neuraxial blockade. During the last few years, several new anticoagulants have been introduced, some of them more potent than the drugs currently available. More potency, however, may also indicate a higher risk of bleeding. Case series from the last few years indicate that spinal epidural hematoma is more common then previously estimated, with a prevalence from 1: 100,000 in obstetric patients to as high as 1: 3,600 in female orthopedic patients. In order to diminish this risk, most national societies have issued guidelines in which time intervals were established between administration of antithrombotic drugs and performance of neuraxial blockade. Guidelines are perceived to be capable of reducing the incidence of spinal epidural hematoma with the inherent risk of permanent paraplegia. These guidelines, however, will only be a valuable aid for clinicians if they are constantly updated and newer antithrombotic drugs are included. Although the resurge of peripheral nerve blocks may diminish patient hazards, deep nerve blocks such as lumbar sympathetic blockade are not devoid of serious complications and should probably be handled in the same way as neuraxial blockade.