DOES EPIDURAL INJECTION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL SALINE FACILITATE THE ADVANCEMENT OF CATHETERS

Seventy patients (ASA I, ASA II), scheduled for a surgical interventio n under epidural or combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia, were randoml y allocated to one of two groups. The epidural space was identified by loss of resistance using air, followed by injection in Group A (35 pa tients) of 10 ml of physiological saline directed cephallad and in Gro up B (35 patients) by no injection. Thereafter an anaesthetist, differ ent to the one who placed the Tuohy in the epidural space, advanced a catheter up to 10 cm into the epidural space. At each cm of advance th e resistance was judged. No significant difference in resistance was f ound between the groups. The authors conclude that the injection of 10 ml of physiological saline into the epidural space does not facilitat e the advancement of an epidural catheter.