To date, spinal anesthesia is one of the most effective methods of anesthesia used in operations on the lower body. By its principle, this method is similar to epidural anesthesia, but is slightly different from it.
What is anesthesia
During anesthesia, the doctor injects the medicine directly into the spinal cord, which allows you to block the nerves responsible for sensitive impulses. In this case, the patient feels the cold coming from the spine to the legs, a little later the lower body is completely numb. The duration of the drug is up to 2 hours. Then movements and sensitivity begin to recover.
Before performing the operation, ask what types of anesthesia are used in the hospital, and choose the most suitable option for yourself. During surgery using spinal anesthesia, the patient is awake. However, a combination of general anesthesia with anesthesia relieves postoperative pain.
Application
I use spinal anesthesia quite often during the procedure:
- Gynecological operations, including when removing the uterus
- Orthopedic operations
- With immobilization or fracture of the femoral neck
Doctors, while performing a planned caesarean section , increasingly prefer spinal anesthesia. The woman in labor is awake, which favorably affects the general condition of the child. However, in some cases, doctors also use an oxygen mask. If the patient feels discomfort, then an additional dose of intravenous analgesics is administered, in extreme cases, they are transferred to general anesthesia.
Execution technique
The procedure for administering a drug is performed in two ways. The patient sits on the edge of the operating table and, leaning his elbows on his knees, leans forward. You can enter funds while lying down. The patient is placed on his left side, and they offer to bend the knees and hips as much as possible. Regardless of the method chosen, the doctor tries to reach the maximum bent back.
Contraindications
The main contraindications for performing spinal anesthesia are:
- Patient's written refusal
- Increased intracranial pressure
- Fetal hypoxia
- Heart rhythm disturbance, heart defects
- Spepsis
- Blood clotting disorder
- Dehydration or blood loss
- Diseases of the central nervous system (central nervous system)
- Fetal malformations
- Fetal death
- Urgency
- Lack of necessary conditions
- Allergic reactions to analgesics
- Skin infections
Advantages and disadvantages
Spinal anesthesia has several significant advantages that significantly distinguish it from other types of anesthesia.
- Relief of postoperative pain. This circumstance allows us to exclude the additional introduction of drugs based on morphine.
- Performance. The medicine is injected directly into the spinal cord, so it is much more effective, and the action begins much faster than with epidural anesthesia.
In addition to advantages, it has its own and disadvantages, which include:
- A sharp decrease in pressure. It occurs as a result of venous stasis and arteriolar dilatation. In this case, raising the legs helps restore blood flow and normalize pressure.
- Headache can occur long enough (up to 4 days after surgery).
- Nausea is the main side effect caused by hypoxia, bardicardia and hypotension.
- Backache. This circumstance may be caused by ligament tension, a temporary injury or a long stay on a hard operating table. Usually the pain goes away on the second day.
- Hearing loss is mainly due to the use of larger needles (27 G). The complication is mild and short-lived, but can be a serious concern for some patients.
Spinal anesthesia, the consequences of which are not critical, is an excellent way of pain relief during surgery. It is practically safe, perfectly relaxes the abdominal press and effectively relieves pain. The absence of negative effects on the fetus allows the use of this anesthesia even during obstetric operations. Spinal anesthesia plays a key role in performing operations in the lower body.