Broken needle during spinal anesthesia: an avoidable complication

Rawéléguinbasba Armel Flavien Kaboré, Ibrahim Alain Traore, Salah Idriss Séif Traore, Cheik Tidiane Hafi Wind-Pouiré Bougouma, Pascal Augustin, Aboudoul-Fataou Ouro-Bang'na Maman, Rawéléguinbasba Armel Flavien Kaboré, Ibrahim Alain Traore, Salah Idriss Séif Traore, Cheik Tidiane Hafi Wind-Pouiré Bougouma, Pascal Augustin, Aboudoul-Fataou Ouro-Bang'na Maman

Abstract

The occurrence of a needle breaking is a very rare complication of spinal anesthesia (SA). We report a case of a broken spinal needle occurring in a morbid obese pregnant woman during SA indicated for an emergent cesarean section. Multiple puncture attempts due to difficult identification of lumbar spine, associated with an inadequate use of the introducer, contributed to this complication. The recognition of predictive factors for difficult neuraxial anesthesia, the use of ultrasound in obese patients, and a properly executed technique may have allowed avoiding this complication.

Keywords: cesarean section; needle breaking; obesity; spinal anesthesia.

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A lumbar spine CT scan. Note: Sagittal plane image showing the broken needle at the L3 level – at a depth of 7 cm from the skin.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A lumbar spine CT scan. Note: Horizontal plane image showing the needle in the right paravertebral space within the erector spinae muscle.

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Source: PubMed

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