Epidural Anesthesia
Epidural anesthesia may
also be chosen for surgical procedures on the lower half of the
body or for post-operative pain control. In this case, a needle is
inserted between the bones of the spine into the “epidural space”
located just outside the space containing spinal fluid. Again, a
local anesthetic agent is injected to numb the nerves coming from
the spinal cord. Every precaution is taken to prevent the epidural
from advancing into the space containing spinal fluid or into an
epidural blood vessel. You may remain conscious or you may receive
an inadvertent spinal tap or perforation of an epidural vein; these
complications will be corrected as soon as they are
recognized.
