[Combined spinal and epidural anesthesia. A review of the method].

UNLABELLED

Combined spinal epidural anaesthesia (CSE) offers the fast and profound neural blockade of spinal anaesthesia, but provides the possibilities of extension of the block and post-operative pain control. On the basis of a historical review, the advantages and drawbacks of CSE are discussed, and purpose-designed needles (Eldor 1 and 2, E-SP, T-A, Braun, Mediziv) are described. The dosage problems inherent in the technique and a possible solution to the "test dose" question are described.

IN CONCLUSION

CSE is a valuable alternative to established regional anaesthetic techniques. The Mediziv needle offers several advantages, but a comparative study of the different needle types is needed.