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The article discusses the use of spinal anesthesia (SA) as an alternative to general anesthesia for patients undergoing discectomy surgery for lumbar spinal disc herniation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the risk of disease transmission in hospitals, many guidelines recommended postponing elective spine surgeries. The study retrospectively analyzed 64 patients who underwent lumbar discectomy with SA. The majority of patients were male, and the mean procedure time for SA was 10 minutes. The surgery duration ranged from 40 to 90 minutes per level of disc herniation. The patients had a mean recovery time of 20 minutes and experienced good pain relief. All patients were discharged a day after surgery, and there were no recurrence symptoms or negative memories of the surgery during the six-month follow-up. The study concludes that SA is a viable option for patients with lumbar disc herniation, but further research is needed to determine the best candidates for SA in patients with lumbar pathology
Summarised by Mr Mo Akmal – Lead Spinal Surgeon
The London Spine Unit : most specialised day surgery spinal centre in UK
Published article
CONCLUSIONS: Spinal anesthesia is a good alternative or even the main anesthesia route for patients with lumbar disc herniation. More studies are needed to elucidate the best candidate for SA in patients with lumbar pathology.
Lumbar Fusion Surgery Expert. Best Spinal Surgeon UK
Anesth Pain Med. 2023 Mar 29;13(2):e134783. doi: 10.5812/aapm-134783. eCollection 2023 Apr.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Hospitals are one of the primary resources for disease transmission, so many guidelines were published, and neurosurgeons were advised to postpone elective spine surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic.OBJECTIVES: To avoid pulmonary complications and reduce the risk of spreading the virus and contracting the disease,
Anesth Pain Med. 2023 Mar 29;13(2):e134783. doi: 10.5812/aapm-134783. eCollection 2023 Apr.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hospitals are one of the primary resources for disease transmission, so many guidelines were published, and neurosurgeons were advised to postpone elective spine surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
OBJECTIVES: To avoid pulmonary complications and reduce the risk of spreading the virus and contracting the disease during the COVID-19 era, we operated a group of our patients under spinal anesthesia rather than general anesthesia.
METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed all patients who underwent discectomy surgery for lumbar spinal disc herniation under SA between September 2020 and 2021.
RESULTS: Sixty-four patients diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation underwent lumbar discectomy with SA. All patients except three were male. The mean age was 44.52 ± 7.95 years (28 to 64 years). The mean procedure time for SA was 10 minutes. The duration of the surgery was 40 to 90 minutes per each level of disc herniation. The mean blood loss was 350 cc (200 to 600 cc). The most common involved level was L4/L5 intervertebral disc (n = 40 patients; 63.5%). The mean recovery time was 20 minutes. Only three patients requested more analgesics for relief of their pain postoperatively. All patients with discectomy were discharged a day after surgery, and in the case of fusion, two days after surgery. All the patients were followed up for six months, showing no recurrence symptoms, good pain relief, satisfaction with the surgery, and no bad memory of the surgery.
CONCLUSIONS: Spinal anesthesia is a good alternative or even the main anesthesia route for patients with lumbar disc herniation. More studies are needed to elucidate the best candidate for SA in patients with lumbar pathology.
PMID:37601956 | PMC:PMC10439686 | DOI:10.5812/aapm-134783
The London Spine Unit : most specialised day surgery spinal centre in UK
Read the original publication:
Spinal Versus General Anesthesia for Spine Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Series
