Anesthesiology and pain medicine
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The most common method of anesthesia for cesarean section is spinal anesthesia, and postdural puncture headache (PDPH) remains a major complication of this procedure. Nowadays, PDPH is a major cause of morbidity in parturients after spinal anesthesia. This headache is the third most popular reason for claims against anesthesiologists in obstetrics. The position after spinal anesthesia has been evaluated as a contributory factor in the occurrence of PDPH, but the position before spinal anesthesia has not yet been evaluated. ⋯ Spinal anesthesia in the sitting position is more associated with significant PHDH than that in the left lateral decubitus position for patients undergoing elective caesarian section.
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The patient's position during spinal anesthesia administration plays a major role in the success of spinal needle insertion into the subarachnoid space. The traditional sitting position (TSP) is the standard position for spinal anesthesia administration, but the success rate for spinal anesthesia administration in the TSP is still quite low. The crossed-leg sitting position (CLSP) is one of the alternative positions for the administration of spinal anesthesia, which can increase the degree of lumbar flexion. ⋯ The rate of successful spinal needle placement in the CLSP group was not significantly different from that in the TSP group in patients undergoing urology surgery. The CLSP can be used as an alternative sitting position for administration of spinal anesthesia.