CHILDBIRTH & ANESTHESIA

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EPIDURAL ANESTHESIA

 

The brain and spinal cord are bathed in a fluid, called cerebrospinal fluid, which is held within a multilayered membrane whose main component is called the "dura."
 
Epidural anesthesia is accomplished by using a needle to inject small amounts of medication (mainly "local anesthetics" similar to those used for dental procedures) into a space that is located just outside of the "dural membrane" where it contacts nerves going to and from the spinal cord.
 
These nerves, taking pain impulses to the central nervous system, are efficiently anesthetized. In obstetrics, a thin plastic tube is passed through the needle to allow continuous infusion of the anesthetic so that its effects will not wear off until after the labor and delivery are completed.