How Much Blood should be Injected for a “Blood Patch”?
The most effective treatment of headache, caused as a complication of an epidural or spinal block, is to insert an epidural needle and to inject the patient’s own blood, as a ‘patch’. The volume of blood recommended has increased from 2-3 ml in the 1960s, 10 ml during 1970-1990, 15-20 ml in the 1990s to ‘as much as possible’ recently. This suggests no-one really knows! I designed a multinational, multicentre, randomised trial to address what volume of blood might be most appropriate. The study has recruited 30 of 120 obstetric cases to date, and involves maternity units in Australia, Canada, the USA, Belgium, and New Zealand, with more expected to participate soon. It is hoped to complete the study in 12-18months. Less Sickness after Anaesthesia and Surgery We have had a long-standing research interest in the prevention of nausea and vomiting, having completed a number of studies over the past decade, including a large study of 620 day-surgical patients last year. This study determined
