Spinal Anesthesia

SPINAL ANESTHESIA

Baby spinals can be used for many surgeries of the abdomen, pelvis, and lower extremities.  A spinal injection provides pain relief, so that your baby can have surgery without being completely asleep under anesthesia.  

What is a spinal?

A spinal is an injection of a medication that goes into your baby’s back.  The medication provides numbness from the abdomen to the feet lasting around 90 minutes.

What are the benefits of a spinal injection?

Your baby can undergo surgery with a spinal injection and avoid going under anesthesia and therefore avoid the risks of general anesthesia.  

What are the risks of a spinal injection?

Risks associated with a spinal injection include:  bleeding, infection, pain, headache, nerve damage, and need to go under general anesthesia.

What are the risks of general anesthesia?

Risks of general anesthesia include:  damage to eyes, lips, teeth, vocal cords, organ and brain damage, and death.  

Would my baby qualify for a spinal injection?

Spinal injections can be done for surgeries lasting 90 minutes or less.  Contraindications to a spinal injection include:  parent refusal, bleeding disorder, infection at the site of injection, spinal abnormality or indeterminate neurologic disease, increased intracranial pressure, any type of ventricular shunt.

What happens when the spinal wears off?

Your anesthesiologist or surgeon will inject additional numbing medication to the incision or to the nerve supplying sensation to the incision to allow for an additional 4-6 hours of pain relief after surgery.  In addition, your baby may receive oral pain medications after surgery. 

What should I expect on the day of surgery?

On the day of surgery, your anesthesiologist will talk to you and answer any questions you may have about a spinal injection for your baby.  Before surgery the anesthesiologist will apply a small amount of numbing cream on your baby’s back, so that your baby will not feel the spinal injection.  Your baby may also receive an oral medication that will last about an hour to help your baby take a short nap during this process.  The spinal injection is done in the operating room.  Once the surgery is over, your baby will be taken to the recovery room and you will be allowed to be with your child.