What are the advantages and disadvantages of epidural anesthesia?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of epidural anesthesia?

• Persistent positional headache afterwards, that occasionally requires additional treatment for rapid resolution.
• Incomplete epidural nerve block allowing “patches” of discomfort during labor (sometimes requiring replacement of the catheter)

What are the advantages of the epidural Anaesthetic?

Epidural analgesia can reduce the incidence of postoperative pulmonary, thromboembolic and cardiac complications. As part of a multimodal recovery programme, epidural analgesia can enhance the quality of patient recovery from major surgery and shorten hospital stay.

Why is anesthesia given in the spinal cord?

Epidural and spinal blocks are types of anesthesia in which a local anesthetic is injected near the spinal cord and nerve roots. It blocks pain from an entire region of the body, such as the belly, the hips, the legs, or the pelvis.

Is spinal anesthesia used for labor?

Spinal anesthesia causes complete loss of feeling and muscle control below the waist. It is usually used only for an assisted delivery (such as a cesarean section or a delivery with forceps). Most women cannot push effectively after a spinal block. The benefit of a spinal block is that it works quickly.

Is epidural good or bad?

Both epidural blocks and combined spinal-epidural blocks make labor a less laborious and painful experience, but they’re not risk-free. These drugs can have side effects, such as low blood pressure, itching, and headache. Though rare, some side effects associated with epidurals can be serious.

Is epidural bad for baby?

Will an Epidural Affect My Baby? Some epidural medicine does reach the baby. But it’s much less than what a baby would get if the mother had pain medicines through an IV or general anesthesia. The risks of an epidural to the baby are minimal, but include possible distress.

What is the disadvantages of epidural?

The disadvantages of the epidural are that the patient has no control over the actions she will have during the birthing process because she’s going to be numb. Some patients don’t like that.

Is it better to have a spinal or general anesthesia?

However, general anesthesia is commonly preferred because of its faster onset of action [2]. Spinal anesthesia is also associated with a better control of postoperative nausea and vomiting [7] and a higher possibility of early discharge [8, 9].

What is spinal anesthesia?

Spinal anesthesia is a neuraxial anesthesia technique in which local anesthetic is placed directly in the intrathecal space (subarachnoid space). The subarachnoid space houses sterile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the clear fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord.

What type of anesthesia is used for childbirth?

Regional anesthesia (also called epidural, spinal, or systemic anesthesia) is the most common and effective pain relief. Regional anesthesia greatly reduces or eliminates pain throughout the birthing process. It can also be used if a cesarean section becomes necessary.

Can an epidural affect the baby?

Epidurals pose very little risk to the baby. Many drugs, from Tylenol to the medication in an epidural, can potentially cross the placenta and affect the baby, but research has shown that the amount of medication that enters your bloodstream and the baby’s when you have an epidural is quite low.