Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 1997
Case ReportsIntraoperative epidural catheter malfunction in two obese patients.
Using a combined general anesthesia/epidural technique, two cases of intraoperative malfunctioning epidural catheters in obese patients are presented. After the epidural was found to be malfunctioning, the anesthesiologist placed the palm of both hands underneath the patients' lumbar and thoracic area. ⋯ In each case, this simple maneuver made the catheter function again. In conclusion, this simple corrective maneuver should be attempted prior to discarding the epidural anesthetic technique.