Peridural anaesthesia and anti-coagulant therapy.

CONTINUOUS PEBIDURAL ANAESTHESIA is a useful method of providing pain relief in patients with occlusive peripheral vascular disease and consequent limb gangrene. Although it is not known if the "sympathetic block" thus achieved improves peripheral circulation, a "warm" extremity and relief of pain seem desirable goals. There are a few reports of spinal peridural haemorrhage as a complication of peridural anaesthesia in patients receiving anti-coagulant therapy. Gringrich, 1 Butler, ~ Helperin 3 and DeAngelis 4 report such complications in association with the catheter technique of continuous peridural anaesthesia, and this report further emphasizes this partieular complication.