Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2023 · DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054665 · Published: February 28, 2023
Neuraxial procedures like spinal and epidural anesthesia can lead to complications, including rare spinal cord injuries. This review identifies high-risk patients and summarizes the causes, consequences, and management of these injuries. The review found that extremes of age, obesity, and diabetes are major risk factors. Spinal cord injuries can result from hematomas, trauma, abscesses, ischemia, and infarction, leading to motor deficits, sensory loss, and pain. Despite these risks, neuraxial techniques remain valuable for pain management, reducing morbidity, improving outcomes, shortening hospital stays, and preventing chronic pain, offering economic benefits with careful patient management and monitoring.
Close monitoring during neuraxial anesthesia procedures is crucial to minimize the risk of spinal cord injury and complications.
Healthcare providers should be aware of the risk factors such as extremes of age, obesity, and diabetes to identify high-risk patients.
Early diagnosis and treatment of Anaes-SCI are essential to improve patient outcomes.