What are the risks associated with epidural anesthesia misplacement/ dural puncture?

Risks of epidural: Risks include dural puncture which may cause headaches that may require a blood patch, infection, nerve injury, bleeding, incomplete block, rare back pain, .

Headaches: As with any invasive procedure there is a risk of bleeding and infection. The main concern with dural puncture with an epidural needle is a bad headache. This headache is usually postural, that is to say gets worse when you sit up. It is self limiting and usually self heals in about 7 days. If needed it can be treated with an epidural blood patch.

Headache: Epidural placed too deeply can cause dural puncture and this may lead to a headache. If a catheter is placed in this space and local anesthetic is given, the patient may get a high spinal which can cause one to even stop breathing. We do many checks when placing a catheter so this is unlikely to happen. Incidence of headache is about 1 in a 100. There are other unlikely mishaps. Good luck.

The risks of epidura: Placed incorrectly include headache, high spinal, intravascular injection, and non-functional epidural. Your anesthesiologist will test the catheter and watch it set up. Most of these concerns will be eliminated at that time.