Infection and the epidural space: a case report.

An epidural infection is a rare and extremely dangerous complication of epidural anesthesia. This case report describes an epidural infection following the use of a continuous lumbar epidural anesthetic. This patient was fortunate, in that the infection did not result in neurologic sequelae and required only long-term intravenous antibiotic therapy. With the increasing use of epidural analgesia and anesthesia, it is important that anesthetists are aware of such a complication in this commonly used technique. This article will review the incidence, pathophysiology, symptomatology, diagnosis, and treatment of epidural infections. Factors relating to epidural infections (equipment use, fever, septicemia and viremia, and duration of catheterization) are also discussed.