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#Essential anatomy for anesthesia how to#
You also should know how to effectively monitor patient response to anesthesia, respond to complaints of pain, and address complications. To ensure competent care of patients who receive neuraxial anesthesia, you should have a fundamental knowledge of spine anatomy to help you understand the important differences between spinal and epidural anesthesia administration. In addition, perioperative and obstetric pain management with neuraxial anesthesia has led to improved patient satisfaction scores because of enhanced pain control and shortened hospitalizations. A recent meta-analysis and systematic review by Meng and colleagues found that neuraxial anesthesia is associated with a lower incidence of these complications as well as decreased blood loss and risk of thromboembolism when compared to general anesthesia. Cervical, thoracic, and/or lumbar epidural steroid injectionsĪ major benefit of neuraxial anesthesia is the reduced need for parenteral opioids, which have many side effects (including respiratory depression, delirium, and GI disturbances) that are associated with cardiac, pulmonary, and kidney complications.Neuraxial anesthesia is used in a variety of clinical situations, including surgical, obstetric, and procedural. (See When is neuraxial anesthesia used?) The three most commonly used neuraxial techniques are spinal, epidural, and combined spinal-epidural (CSE). For example, the goal of neuraxial anesthesia administered to a woman in labor is to provide analgesia as she progresses through active labor but not remove her ability to move her lower extremities. Depending on the dose and concentration of the anesthetic used, neuraxial anesthesia doesn’t always result in a complete absence of motor function. It can lead to the complete absence of sensory and/or motor function at or below the site of injection. Neuraxial anesthesia is the administration of medication into the subarachnoid or epidural space to produce anesthesia and analgesia. See the last page of the article to learn how to earn CNE credit. The authors and planners of this CNE activity have disclosed no relevant financial relationships with any commercial companies pertaining to this activity. Discuss the nursing care of patients receiving neuraxial anesthesia.Identify complications of neuraxial anesthesia.Differentiate types of neuraxial anesthesia.
