Summary
Epidural analgesia is highly effective for controlling acute pain after surgery, or trauma to the chest, abdomen, pelvis or lower limbs. It can provide excellent pain relief, minimal side-effects, and high patient satisfaction when compared with other methods of analgesia. However, it can cause serious, potentially life-threatening complications.
These guidelines discuss the use of epidural analgesia, including:
- Patient selection and consent for epidural anaesthesia
- Epidural analgesia in children
- Personnel, staffing levels and ward environment
- Catheter insertion
- Equipment and drugs for epidural analgesia
- Patient monitoring