• Glenn Paul Abela and Terry Tan.
• Department of Anaesthetics and Perioperative Medicine, Coombe Women and Infant University Hospital, Cork Street, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland. glenn.abela@gmail.com.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2020 May 1; 189 (2): 657-660.

BackgroundAccidental dural puncture (ADP) during epidural catheter insertion and the possible consequent post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) remain challenging complications in obstetric anaesthesia. ADP/PDPH can represent a considerable degree of morbidity for the parturient and require immediate diagnosis and appropriate management to ensure recovery and avoid complications.AimThis retrospective audit was carried out to identify the accidental dural puncture and post-dural puncture headache rates at the Coombe Women and Infant University Hospital in Dublin.MethodsCases of ADP and PDPH were identified retrospectively from a register used to record these cases. Demographic and obstetric data was retrieved using the patients' medical records. Analysis was carried using MS Excel.ResultsIn 1 year (June 1, 2018 to June 1, 2019), there were 25 cases of ADP during epidural catheter insertion and this is 0.78% of epidurals done in this period. Seventeen of these (68%) subsequently developed PDPH. In total, there are 32 cases of PDPH: 27 after epidural analgesia using an 18G Touhy needle and 5 after a spinal anaesthetic using a 25G Whitacre needle. All PDPH cases received first-line conservative treatment and 9 (28.1%) required an epidural blood patch (EBP). No-one required a second EBP.DiscussionThe incidence of ADP at our hospital (0.78%) is within the range quoted in the literature (0.1-1.5%) and below the UK standard of 1%. The incidence of PDPH after recognized ADP (68%) is also consistent with other published reports.

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