Long-term, Open Catheterization of the Spinal Subarachnoid Space for Continuous Infusion of Narcotic and Bupivacaine in Patients with “refractory” Cancer Pain A Technique of Catheterization and its Problems and Complications

The technique of long-term, open catheterization of the spinal subarachnoid space for infusion of analgesics in patients with refractory cancer pain is sparsely reported in the literature. We report on a technique using 18G Portex nylon catheters and 16G-17G Tuohy needles, and its problems and complications. One hundred fifty-seven catheters were inserted in 142 patients, in most of them (79%) under deep sedation and local anesthesia. Attempts were made to place the catheter tip as close to the painful segments as possible. The catheters were tunneled subcutaneously (87% of them paravertebrally, over the shoulder, and further parasternally to the third chondrocostal cartilage). The Luer connections of the catheters were fixed to the patients' skin with monofilament steel sutures of dimension 0 and connected to a bacterial filter. At the end of the procedure, 10 ml isotonic saline was injected intrathecally to prevent postspinal puncture headache. Absorbent and impermeable dressings were applied over the tunnel exit, catheter Luer connection and bacterial filter. Antibiotics were given on the day of insertion and 2 days thereafter. During the insertion procedure, the following problems and complications were encountered: two or more attempts before successful spinal-dural puncture (32%), accidental puncture of an extradural vessel (10%), difficult dural puncture (18%), absence of free dripping of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in spite of successful dural puncture (4%), blood-stained CSF (9%), radicular pain and paresthesiae (4%), difficult advancement of the catheter (6%), difficult tunneling (11%), and bleeding in the tunnel (0.7%). The rates of these complications were similar to or lower than those reported with intrathecal catheterizations with microspinal equipment (22− to 26-gauge needles and 28− to 32-gauge catheters) and epidural catheterizations with equipment identical to that used in this study. No neurologic sequelae could be ascribed to these intraoperative complications.