British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2004, Vol. 93, No. 1 149-150
© 2004 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
Correspondence |
Infective complications of thoracic epidural
1 Glasgow, UK 2 Nottingham, UK
| The first 10% of the full text of this article appears below. |
EditorWe read with interest the case report of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-cutaneous fistula and pseudomonas meningitis complicating a thoracic epidural, by Abaza and Bogod.1 Two points of discussion have arisen.
First, were there signs of systemic inflammation (e.g. high or low white blood cell count, high or low core temperature, tachypnoea, or tachycardia) present before epidural catheter insertion? The presence of such signs could represent systemic sepsis, which is a relative contraindication to epidural anaesthesia. The majority of anaesthetists questioned in a survey of