“Everyone sometimes struggles with lumbar puncture or spinal anesthesia”, says Dr. Hadzic, the director at NYSORA. “While this more commonly occurs in elderly patients or patients with spine pathology, it is not uncommon even in very small, thin patients. As chief of regional anesthesia service, I’m often called to assist with difficult spinal anesthesia. Most of the time I immediately switch the technique to the paramedian approach, in which I choose L5 and S1 as the largest interlaminar spaces and the easiest to access in most patients.”
In this video, Dr. Hadzic demonstrates the paramedian approach to spinal anesthesia in a patient scheduled for hip replacement surgery. While the paramedian technique requires some practice and stereotactic considerations, Dr. Hadzic says that after mastering the paramedian technique, “you will be the one that everyone will call every time anyone needs assistance.”
Read more on Spinal anesthesia techniques.
Learn About Spinal Anesthesia on the NYSORA LMS!
Mastering RA techniques has never been easier, thanks to the NYSORA Compendium of Regional Anesthesia. Brush up on your knowledge of Spinal Anesthesia through interactive and visual course content, and save time by utilizing the newly-updated condensed infographics just like this one.
