So I have a friend who’s doctors have been attempting to get him to take cathiter in the back. He is scared of being permanently paralized or even temporarily paralized. I’ve looked for specific probabilities of a cathiter in his 4th to 5th vertibrae that might paralize him.
Have there been any cases of that procedure or similar procedures that have caused or been instrumental in paralysis?
What are the chances of such a thing occuring?
Thanks for any replies or pointing me in the right direction for searching myself.
A catheter is used either for withdrawing fluids or introducing fluids in to the body. I have never heard of a spinal catheter. But then again IANAMD. I have heard of a spinal tap, in which the subarachnoid space between L3 and L4 is punctured and tapped. I guess it could also be done at L4-5. I believe this is a very safe procedure, but you’ll have to wait for one of the MDs to show up, or do your own research, using correct spelling. (BTW, it’s also paralyzed.
Oh now you got to be all spelling and stuff. Sorry about the spellings, I was trying to watch TV as well… Good Worms 3D game on.
Anyhow:
The doctor wants to put a catheter in because he has a herniated disk and spinal stenosis. I think he might also have arthritis in those affect vertebrae. The vertebrae he has a problem with are the 4th and 5th from the bottom of his spine. I believe from my limited research those are the lumbar ones. The medication is something long and complicated sounding. It’s not steroids or cortizone, which is what he thought it was previously.
He’s sold on the meds and the possibility of fixing the problem. However, he hates anything that might could might happen maybe. Thus, he’s freaking out about having his spine severed or being paralyzed. Essentially, I’m looking for probabilities like “1 in 100 billion chance of being paralyzed.” I’ve shown him online papers with “remote” or “very little” chances, but he is still freaking.
But I’ll do a search again, thanks for the spelling smack. I’m getting lazy with Word Dictionary.
Spinal catheters are pretty damn routine. Either into the epidural space outside the spinal cord, as used for obstetrical anesthesia, or into the spinal canal itself, for a variety of purposes, including the infusion of pain and inflammation fighting medication.
Risk to the spinal cord is minimal. But I don’t know of any cites regarding odds of it happening. My orthopedist friend, who I spoke with tonight, and who occasionally mucks around in this territory calls the risk “trivial” and says he should be worried more about getting hit by a bus while crossing the street with the walk sign. For what that’s worth. He of course should listen to the doctor who is proposing to do the procedure, and ask his questions there.
If a trained anesthetist is putting in your spinal catheter, for pain control, the risk of damage from hitting the spinal cord is pretty small. (I’d GUESS below 1:10000). Risk of headaches is bigger. The catheter is put in at the lower lumbar vertebrae (L3-L4 or L4-L5, well below where the spinal chord ends in adults (except for anchoring fila).
The patients in the hospital where I do most of my training who have had major abdominal surgery will have a spinal cather for anaethesia for about 5 days after the procedure.
With 6 surgeons in the hospital, each doing about 8 surgeries of this type a week, every week of the year.
Our hospital has never had anyone paralysed from this procedure, in the 5 years since they’ve started it.
The quoted #'s are something like 1:200,000 epidurals placed will result in a hematoma.
Nevertheless, in the anesthesia pain clinic at my hospital, none of the MD’s (including myself) with a combined experience of 60-ought years have ever seen a case of paralysis from an epidural. But they have been reported, so no matter the “odds”, the chance, no matter how small, does exist.
I’m curious what they’d be injecting if not seroids or local anesthetic.
Thanks for all the replies. He is going to actually get it now. Sorry to say not because of all of your work here. Rather, the feminine wiles of his girlfriend has swayed him. Well, whatever works. I didn’t see him today, so I haven’t asked him what they are putting in, but he said it wasn’t just painkillers. The three long words he said that made my jaw drop and start drooling might very well have been steroids or an anti-inflamation drug.