Combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for cesarean section; needle-through-needle approach

The Portex "Spinal/Epidural Set" is designed for combined spinal-epidural (CSE) anesthesia by the needle-through-needle approach. We evaluated the technical and clinical usefulness of CSE with this needle set, and also isobaric tetracaine, for cesarean section.

Thirty patients for cesarean section were included. In the left decubitus position, a 16-gauge epidural needle was introduced by the loss-of-resistance method into the lumbar intervertebral space. A 26-gauge spinal needle was threaded through the epidural needle into the subarachnoid space. Tetracaine dissolved in saline was injected. A 17-gauge catheter was advanced into the epidural space. The analgesic level was checked by the pin-prick method.

The insertion in the first attempt was successful in 21 cases (70%) of the patients, and difficulty in insertion was not experienced. Inadvertent dural puncture occurred in one case, but no accidental subarachnoid catheterization was observed. Spinal anesthesia with tetracaine (11.1±0.5 mg) reached the level of Th₆ on average, with a relatively wide range. Five cases (13%) were supplemented by epidural anesthesia. No postspinal headache was noted.

CSE technique by the needle-through-needle approach is easy to handle, and provides a speedy, reliable, and flexible analgesia as well as postoperative pain relief for patients undergoing cesarean section.