Postmortem findings after epidural anaesthesia

Summary Postmortem specimens of 10 patients who had received continuous epidural anaesthesia postoperatively (ranging from 2–21 days) were examined. Slight epidural haemorrhage was observed in six patients and a macroscopically visible haematoma in a thrombocytopenic patient. Nonspecific epidural inflammatory reactions were observed microscopically in all patients. Specimens from seven patients with systemic infection showed signs of epidural infection. No similar pathology was found in a control group without epidural catheters. The aetiology and risk factors of the above findings are discussed, and recommendations given to prevent such sequelae after epidural anaesthesia.