226 posters, 5 topics, 20 sessions, 598 authors, 292 institutions
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Obstetric Anaesthesia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026
14-15 May 2026 | Liverpool Convention Centre
7157454
Complications following Central Neuraxial Blockade 2024
Poster Presenter
Authors
Affiliations
Part of Topic
Service Evaluation
Service Evaluation Project for Complications following Central Neuraxial Blockade
Sher Ali Khurram, Lucky Angashang and Dipali Verma
Liverpool Women's NHS Trust, UK
Background:
Central neuraxial blocks (CNB) are widely used in obstetric anaesthesia and analgesia.Monitoring complications and follow-up compliance is essential for maintaining patient safety and benchmarking against international standards.This service evaluation aimed to assess the incidence of complications and follow-up outcomes across all CNBprocedures performed in 2024.
Methods:
This was a retrospective service evaluation study. Data was reviewed from January to December 2024, covering all CNB procedures performed at our institution. Data included the anaesthetic technique, complications, and follow-up outcomes. Complications were calculated as percentages of the total number of procedures (n = 4761).
Results:
A total of 4761 procedures were performed in 2024:
• Spinal anaesthesia was the most common technique (2897, 60.8%)
• Epidural (1262, 26.5%)
• Combined spinal-epidural (297, 6.2%)
• General anaesthesia (239, 5.0%)
• Combined epidural & GA (66, 1.4%)
Conclusions:
•4761 CNB procedures performed in 2024
•Low complication rates across all categories
•PDPH incidence (0.53%) below international benchmarks
•Follow-up completion >80%, though monthly variation observed
•Continuous audit and benchmarking support ongoing improvements in service quality
References:
o References 1–2 provide benchmark PDPH rates (1–2%); References 3 supports reduced incidence with atraumatic needles.
1.Turnbull DK, Shepherd DB. Post-dural puncture headache: pathogenesis, prevention and treatment. Br J Anaesth. 2003;91(5):718–729.
2.Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association & Association of Anaesthetists. Guidelines for Obstetric Anaesthesia. London: OAA/ AoA; 2020.
3.Nath S, et al. Atraumatic versus conventional lumbar puncture needles: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2018;391(10126):1197.