Fine tuning in neuraxial subarachnoid anesthesia

Abstract

The spinal anesthesia, a category of neuraxial anesthesia, is commenced in the lumbar spine, where the local anesthetic (LA) is injected into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to anesthetize the spinal nerves. This technique is most frequently used for analgesia and/or anesthesia for different forms of lower extremity, lower abdominal, pelvic, and perineal procedures. Preoperative evaluation that includes a medical history and anesthesia-directed physical examination should be performed for every patient who undergo any type of anesthesia. Focus should be made on the preoperative evaluation, when spinal anesthesia is considered, to prevent medical conditions that may alter the physiologic response to spinal anesthesia or increase the risk of complications and the baricity influences of the anesthetic distribution within the subarachnoid space.

Keywords

• spinal anesthesia
• neuraxial anesthesia
• cerebrospinal fluid (csf)
• local anesthetic (la)