Foraminal stenosis complicating retained broken epidural needle tip -A case report-

A Systemic Review of Spinal Needles Broken During Neuraxial Anesthesia

Needle breakage during spinal anesthesia occurs infrequently and represents a serious complication with potentially adverse effects. The objective of this systemic review was to look at the incidence, risk factors, and preventative measures for broken spinal needles. A search of the literature on PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases and a manual web search was performed, with no filters and up to April 2023 from inception. Out of the 43 potential studies, 23 were included. The search terms for the full article reading were broken needle, spinal anesthesia, humans, and post-operative, and the exclusion criteria were systematic reviews, conference presentations, and non-full articles. A review of the 23 studies (24 cases) suggests an association between specific risk factors such as obesity and needle size and breaks. Identifying the risks and complications of needle breaks could help physicians modify their practice and inform their patients of any increased risks applicable to them.

Successful Management of a Broken Spinal Needle During Difficult Spinal Anesthesia: A Case Report

Spinal anesthesia is the most common mode of anesthesia utilized during caesarian sections worldwide. Despite its many advantages over general anesthesia in the pregnant cohort, uncommon and even catastrophic complications could occur due to patient-related, equipment-related, and procedure-related complications. One such uncommon event of a broken spinal needle during failed spinal anesthesia for a caesarian section and subsequent successful management is described here.