Migrating thoracic epidural catheter in an infant

Mark E Thompson1, Heidi Aasheim

  • 1Department of Anesthesia, Children's Hospital of Colorado and University of Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. mark.thompson@childrenscolorado.org

Paediatric Anaesthesia
|January 4, 2012
PubMed

Infants have a shorter neuraxial length and shorter skin to epidural space than adults. Even small amounts of migration may produce significant and unintended effects. Optimal fixation to prevent migration, bacterial colonization, and leakage is not clear from the literature. We report the case of a thoracic epidural that migrated inward for six centimeters, associated with loss of analgesic effect.