Objective: The purpose of this study was to present an audit report of thoracic epidural anesthesia without permanent neurologic deficits in more than 2,000 patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
Design: A prospective audit of cases conducted over a 13-year period.
Setting: Tertiary referral heart hospital.
Participants: Two thousand one hundred thirteen patients over a period of 13 years.
Interventions: Epidural catheters were inserted at the C7 to T3 intervertebral space on the day before the operation in all patients; cardiac surgery was performed with or without cardiopulmonary bypass.
Measurements and results: The authors did not encounter any permanent neurologic deficits in their series. The authors encountered 18 (0.85%) primary dural punctures and 4 cases (0.18%) of temporary neurologic deficits.
Conclusion: This series adds to the worldwide experience of the use of epidural analgesia concomitantly with anticoagulation in cardiac surgery without serious complications.