FFA Sciences (United States)

Arteriovenous fistula is a rare complication of lumbar disc surgery and there is often a delay in diagnosis. A patient who developed multi-system failure associated with an aortocaval fistula, which occurred following a lumbar disc operation, is presented in this study. Surgical repair was facilitated by the use of total cardiopulmonary bypass which enabled a degree of safety and control that would have been difficult to obtain with standard methods.

Four cases of prolonged block following epidural anaesthesia in obstetric patients are described. Recovery was complete in all cases. The possible causes are discussed.