The possible side effects of epidural anesthesia include a fall in blood pressure and heart rate, nerve injury, headache, nausea, vomiting, tremor, urinary retention, local infection, shortness of breath, epidural hematoma, and back pain (lumbar spine).
However, the side effects tend to be transient and depend on the body of each person.
THE back pain can last for a few hours or take weeks to pass. This happens when there is a rupture of a nerve or hematoma at the puncture site, which can cause pain or numbness in the lumbar spine.
THE Headache may occur in up to 1% of patients undergoing epidural anesthesia. The treatment consists of bed rest, hydration and analgesics.
If the dose of anesthetic is very high, the person has dizziness, metallic taste in the mouth and tinnitus. The following are speech disorders, somnolence and tremors, which may progress to seizures, respiratory failure and cardiorespiratory arrest.
At allergic reactions are very rare, but they can happen. When they occur, they manifest as itching, redness, lowering of blood pressure, among other reactions, being treated with antihistamines, corticoids and epinephrine (adrenaline).
At infections are often caused by bacteria-infected catheters, most often due to poor catheter use or prolonged residence time.
The use of suitable equipment and anesthetics, in addition to the field of application technique, greatly reduces the risk of side effects.
Read too:
What are the side effects of spinal anesthesia?
What is the difference between spinal and epidural anesthesia?
What are the risks of general anesthesia?
