Regional anaesthesia · Neuraxial

Spinal anaesthesia

Do it safely at the bedside, fix it when it goes wrong, and know it for the exam.

I need to…

• Prepare and positionChecks, set-up, sitting or lateral
• Choose drug and doseDrug, baricity and label dose ranges
• Anticoagulant timingWhen is a spinal safe, and the next dose
• Dry tap or can’t find the spaceNo CSF: step-by-step
• HypotensionLow BP or slow heart rate after the block
• Scoliotic or elderly spineDifficult back: approach and ultrasound
• Post-dural puncture headacheRecognise, treat, blood patch
• Ward cardOne page to use at the bedside
• MMed exam knowledgeCaesarean and infant spinals, trials, viva answers

Chapters

1. Ward cardThe short version: steps, doses and red flags on one page. Prints cleanly.
2. Anatomy & physiologySpine, cord, meninges, dermatomes and what the block does to the body.
3. PharmacologyLocal anaesthetics, baricity, adjuvants and vasopressors.
4. TechniquePreparation, positioning, the step-by-step spinal, drugs and doses, special patients.
5. Difficult backs & ultrasoundScoliosis, elderly and obese spines; ultrasound-assisted neuraxial.
6. TroubleshootingDecision trees: dry tap, bloody tap, paraesthesia, failed or patchy block, hypotension.
7. Complications & aftercareHeadache, nerve injury, haematoma, infection, high block, LAST and follow-up.
8. Exam (MMed)Exam-level knowledge and viva points.
9. ReferencesGuidelines cited on this page.

Choose your level

The Level buttons at the top of the screen (MO, Res, Con) set how much you see. Your choice is remembered on this device and shared with the other regional block pages.

MO

MOPEX level: what you need for your first supervised spinals.

Resident

MO plus resident: everything up to the MMed exam.

Consultant

Everything on the page, including the consultant pearls and edge cases.

Pearls only

At Consultant level, a switch at the top of each chapter shows only the consultant pearls, collected section by section.