Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate factors associated with failed and high spinal blocks in patients who received spinal anesthesia for Cesarean delivery following a labour epidural that was inadequate for surgical anesthesia. ⋯ Administration of spinal anesthesia within 30 min of an epidural top-up dose is associated with increased risk of failure. We speculate that this may be due in part to the presence of a large volume of local anesthetic in the epidural space, which may be mistaken for cerebrospinal fluid during spinal placement.