CRNA : the clinical forum for nurse anesthetists
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In the obstetric setting, spinal and epidural analgesia/anesthesia are the 2 most frequently used forms of analgesia and anesthesia. One of the potential complications of these procedures is the postdural puncture headache (PDPH), and there is a high probability that the anesthetist will have occasion to evaluate the headache complaints of the parturient. The author reviews the differential process and discusses some of the causes and treatments of headaches in the parturient.
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Combined spinal epidural anesthesia offers the advantages of each method while minimizing their respective disadvantages. First described in 1937, this technique has risen in popularity over the last 15 years and is being used successfully in orthopedic, urologic, and gynecologic surgeries and for anesthesia/analgesia for labor and delivery as well as cesarean section. The history and development of combined spinal epidural anesthesia/analgesia, the different techniques, and controversies and problems associated with its use are discussed. The use of the technique of obstetric anesthesia/analgesia is also examined.