Abstract
Introduction: Spinal Anesthesia (SA) continues to be an emerging technique for lumbar fusion surgery in the elderly population. SA is an appealing option in the high-risk geriatric population for several reasons, including the potential for reduced systematic stress, reduced blood loss, and reduced post-operative delirium. The safe limits of spine surgery under SA remain undetermined. Presentation of case: The following case-study describes an elderly high-risk patient (ASA III) with severe spinal stenosis and degenerative scoliosis who presented with lower back and right leg pain and underwent a 3-level lumbar fusion surgery with spinal anesthesia. The procedure lasted 3 h and 44 min with sufficient anesthesia maintained throughout. The patient experienced minor post-operative complications, but had an excellent clinical outcome at 3-month follow-up. Discussion: Further research should be conducted to define the temporal limits of SA in elderly patients and the etiology of post-operative complications following lumbar fusion surgery under spinal anesthesia in the geriatric population. Conclusion: The case reported, herein, demonstrates the feasibility of SA in elderly patients undergoing lengthy complex lumbar surgeries who have been designated “high-risk” patients (ASA > II) and provides support for future investigation into surgical and anesthesia treatment options for geriatric high-risk patients presenting with complex lumbar spine pathologies.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 131-134 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | International Journal of Surgery Case Reports |
Volume | 65 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2019 |
Keywords
- Case report
- Geriatric
- Lumbar fusion
- Spinal anesthesia
- Spine surgery
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery