Overcoming Obstacles: The Legacy of Fidel Pagés, Founder of the Epidural, 100 Years After His Passing

Abstract

Fidel Pagés, a Spanish surgeon, tragically died in 1923 at the age of 37, just 2 years after his publication “Anestesia Metamérica,” the first description of human thoracolumbar epidural anesthesia. In the intervening 100 years, epidural anesthesia has faced countless obstacles, starting with the dissemination of his initial report, which was not widely read nor appreciated at the time. However, the merits of the technique have fueled innovations to meet these challenges over the years. Even today, while epidural anesthesia is widely embraced, particularly in obstetric and chronic pain medicine, the pressures of the operating room for efficiency and a low tolerance for failure, pose modern-day challenges. Here, we revisit Pagés’ original report and highlight the key innovations that have allowed for the evolution of this essential anesthesia technique.