Routine bacterial culture from epidural catheter tips

An improved technique for culture of catheter tips from open-heart surgery patients.

Epidural hematoma after routine epidural steroid injection

BACKGROUND There are few reported cases of an epidural spinal hematoma following interventional pain procedures. CASE DESCRIPTION We report a case of a spinal epidural hematoma in a patient with no known risk factors (e.g. coagulopathy), who underwent an epidural steroid injection (ESI) in the same anatomic location as two previously successful ESI procedures. CONCLUSION Early detection was...

Wandering epidural catheter.

A MALE patient, 73 yr old, had a Flexitip Plus (Arrow International, Reading, PA) 19gauge end-hole, wire-reinforced thoracic epidural catheter inserted for postthoracotomy pain management. He underwent highresolution spiral computed tomography scan with the catheter in situ before its use to evaluate previous bronchoscopic findings. A composite set of sagittal computed tomography images (figs. ...

Epidural catheter complication.

The 2-part Education News column, “Upgrading nurse anesthesia educational requirements (1933-2006)” by Betty Horton, CRNA, PhD, was very timely and informative.1,2 Dr Horton succinctly chronicled the historical development of our educational standards and how the consistent elevation of those standards reflects a sustained commitment to excellence. Over the past 2 years, I have practiced anesth...

Chlorhexidine Gluconate Dressings Reduce Bacterial Colonization Rates in Epidural and Peripheral Regional Catheters

INTRODUCTION Bacterial colonization of catheter tips is common in regional anesthesia and is a suspected risk factor for infectious complications. This is the first study evaluating the effect of CHG-impregnated dressings on bacterial colonization of regional anesthesia catheters in a routine clinical setting. METHODS In this prospective study, regional anesthesia catheter infection rates wer...