Diagnosis and Management of a Retained Local Anesthetic Needle Fragment in a Patient Who Underwent Scheduled Elective Cesarean Delivery: A Case Report

Abstract

Cesarean deliveries are often performed with a neuraxial anesthetic technique. Fracture of needles used for local anesthetic infiltration is rare. During subcutaneous infiltration of local anesthetic for a combined spinal epidural (CSE) anesthetic technique performed for elective cesarean delivery, a fragment from a fractured 27-gauge local anesthetic needle was retained in the lumbar subcutaneous tissue. CSE anesthesia was then successfully performed at a different spinal interspace, and the patient had an uneventful cesarean delivery. The patient had the needle fragment removed on the first postoperative day by an interventional radiologist who used fluoroscopy to identify the needle location.