My high epidural block

I encountered a high epidural block last week, and it was not a particularly enjoyable experience.

As you would hopefully expect, all patient details have been adjusted to ensure confidentiality, however the clinical aspects of this post remain true to life.

This is not an instruction manual on what you should do in this scenario, it's a considered reflection on what I did during an overnight case on my own.

I strongly encourage all and any feedback or questions you may have, and I hope it provides a useful case study of a situation that might crop up on call.

The anxious patient

"Hey are we ready to team brief?"

"Sure I've just seen the patient, her epidural's working fine so I'll top it up, and we'll spinal if it's not cutting the mustard."

"Great, I'm Sara, obstetric registrar...."