Failed spinal anesthesia after a psoas compartment block.
OBJECTIVE
To report the case of a patient who experienced failed spinal anesthesia following a psoas compartment block (PCB) and discuss its implications.


METHODS
A 70-yr-old male was scheduled for a right total hip arthroplasty. He agreed to a PCB for postoperative analgesia and a spinal anesthetic. The spinal anesthetic was performed after completion of the PCB. Free flow of clear fluid was demonstrated at the beginning and at the end of the presumed intrathecal injection. General anesthesia had to be induced because of failure of the spinal anesthetic. The patient awoke from his general anesthetic with a functional PCB and no evidence of residual neuraxial anesthesia. The possibility of epidural spread of local anesthetic from the PCB impairing the ability to perform spinal anesthesia is discussed and reviewed. We hypothesize that local anesthetic in the epidural space may have falsely reassured the anesthesiologist that the needle was properly placed.


CONCLUSIONS
We describe a case of failed spinal anesthesia following a PCB and discuss its implications.
Lang
Scott A
SA
Department of Anesthesiology, Foothills Hospital, University of Calgary.
Prusinkiewicz
Chris
C
Tsui
Ban C H
BC
D000368:Aged; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D004824:Epidural Space; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019148:Neuromuscular Blockade; D016658:Psoas Muscles; D017211:Treatment Failure
D000779:Anesthetics, Local