Spinal anesthesia: for or against?

Today, any surgical intervention is performed under anesthesia, which greatly facilitates any operation. Spinal anesthesia is a relatively young concept in modern medicine, but it is already widespread and positions itself as one of the most effective and accessible methods of anesthetic support in the field of surgery.

So, spinal anesthesia is a procedure in which the space inside the spinal canal is filled with a solution of a local anesthetic, and a deep puncture of the dense shell surrounding the spinal cord must be performed . With such manipulations, the pain nerves in the required areas are "switched off" for a certain period of time, and for this an anesthetic is administered on a characteristic site of the spine near these nerves, and this procedure is practically painless and does not cause discomfort.

However, as something new and not fully known, spinal anesthesia has its own supporter and ardent opponents, and this is not surprising, because such a method of anesthesia has, both its perceived shortcomings, and significant advantages. Let's start, of course, with a good one.

First of all, it should be clarified that this procedure does not injure in any way the spinal cord, because the injection is performed slightly below it, maximally excluding the possibility of injury. In addition, it is pleased with its speed, after all, 7 minutes after the solution is released, a temporary blockage of nerve fibers occurs . This is particularly true for pregnant women who are given spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery, because after the dose, the patient feels warm, as well as the complete relaxation of the muscles of the lower limbs and no pain even during contractions. Also, after this procedure, there is no intoxication of the body, so you can confidently assert that spinal anesthesia complicates almost no effect. Simply put, the procedure is acceptable in that the body's response is observed at a moderate dose of anesthetic, and the consequences after it are quite favorable for weakened immunity. However, not everything is so radiant, because this method of anesthesia has its drawbacks, which should also not be missed.

As medical practice shows, when performing spinal anesthesia, pathological complications are rarely observed, but everything depends on each clinical case, since each patient has features of his or her organism that can unexpectedly play a negative role. Everything depends on the specifics of the testimony, among them the severity and nature of the disease, as well as the already existing diseases, the age of the patient, his general condition and the presence of bad habits. There should be a qualitatively performed spinal anesthesia, the consequences of which can also be caused by such anesthesia measures as the placement of a catheter into the central vein, blood transfusions, and further productive treatment. But do not panic, as experienced medical staff knows their business and will make every effort to successfully hold such an event.

But nevertheless from time to time there are extremely undesirable reactions of the body to the introduction of a foreign substance. This can be a severe headache that occurs due to an increase in patient immobility. Such a phenomenon in most cases occurs within a day on its own, or with the help of special medications forcibly. Also, an undesirable effect is a sharp decrease in pressure, which is eliminated by copious drinking or intravenous administration of the solution. In rare cases, the patient may complain of a delay in urination, but such a nuance often does not require any treatment, as does back pain in the first postoperative day. Sometimes such painful sensations can extinguish a tablet of paracetamol or diclofenac. Very rarely there are neurological disorders, but they also pass after the first day.

It is important to remember that all the smallest nuances should be given in advance and agreed with the specialist in advance.