PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sprung, Juraj
AU  - Cheng, Eugene Y.
AU  - Patel, Smita
TI  - When to Remove an Epidural Catheter in a Parturient with Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation
AID  - 10.1136/rapm-00115550-199217060-00008
DP  - 1992 Nov 01
TA  - Regional Anesthesia: The Journal of Neural Blockade in Obstetrics, Surgery, & Pain Control
PG  - 351--354
VI  - 17
IP  - 6
4099  - http://rapm.bmj.com/content/17/6/351.short
4100  - http://rapm.bmj.com/content/17/6/351.full
SO  - Reg Anesth Pain Med1992 Nov 01; 17
AB  - Background and Objectives. Pain from labor and delivery is often attenuated with epidural anesthesia. A complication of indwelling epidural catheters is intraspinal hematoma. The development of a bleeding diathesis can worsen complications markedly.Conclusions. Frequent assessment of neurologic status is important until the underlying cause of the coagulopathy can be treated and the bleeding resolves. If there is no indication of intraspinal bleeding, we recommend removing the catheter because of potential catheter migration. If bleeding is occurring around the catheter insertion site and possibly in the epidural or subarachnoid space, the catheter may be left in place to tamponade the insertion site. In cases of intraspinal hematoma, which can cause neurologic deficits, immediate decompression surgery is needed.