Anesthetics administered into the epidural space are advantageous because

Epidural anesthesia

It is the administration of local anesthetic and / or opioid derivatives in the epidural space, with the benefit of the possibility of placing a catheter in said space for the subsequent infusion of drugs, prolonging their effect over time.

It allows to adjust the depth of the block (vegetative, sensitive and motor stimulus).

Epidural anesthesia is very similar to the spinal, however the differences should be noted:

In epidural anesthesia the analgesic is injected into the epidural region, which is located around the spinal canal and not exactly inside, as in the case of spinal anesthesia.

In epidural anesthesia, the analgesic is injected through a catheter, which is implanted in the epidural space. While in spinal anesthesia the anesthetic is administered by a needle only once; In the epidural the anesthetic is administered continuously through the catheter.

Epidural anesthesia can still be administered in the postoperative period to control pain in the first hours after surgery. Just keep the infusion of analgesia by the catheter.

The amount of anesthetics administered is much smaller in spinal anesthesia.

Complications

Both types of regional anesthesia can bring complications. Among the main ones, we can specify:

Hematic puncture: blood flow through the needle.

Paresthesia: unpleasant sensation associated with puncture (tingling, cramping ...)

Arterial hypotension: due to vasodilation caused by sympathetic block.

Nausea and vomiting: usually secondary to hypotension.

Urinary retention: by blockage of the bladder detrusor muscle.

Low back pain: especially after repeated attempts with large caliber needles.

Post-puncture headache: from the continuous loss of CSF through the hole