Spinal and Epidural Anesthesia - Medical Animation
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Spinal and Epidural Anesthesia - Medical Animation
MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: If you are having certain operations, such as pelvic, hip, or leg surgery, you may be able to avoid general anesthesia by having your operation under spinal or epidural anesthesia instead. Spinal and epidural anesthesia are also often used during childbirth. Both spinal and epidural anesthesia involve injecting medications near the spinal cord. This makes you numb from the level of your chest down to your feet. Advantages of spinal and epidural anesthesia include the ability to be awake during the operation and to avoid the risks associated with general anesthesia. Because spinal and epidural anesthesia rarely cause decreases in blood pressure and other changes that might require rapid treatment, you will have an intravenous line in place so that fluids or medicines can be administered quickly. You will also be connected to various monitors to keep track of your blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen content of your blood. Prior to receiving spinal or epidural anesthesia, the anesthetist will use an antiseptic solution to clean the area of your back where the medicine is injected. To decrease pain from the needle stick, he or she may instill a local anesthetic directly over the spot where the spinal or epidural needle will be inserted. Spinal anesthesia involves a single injection of medication into the sac of fluid that surrounds your spinal cord. To reach this fluid sac, the anesthetist will pass a needle through your skin, between the vertebral bones, and, finally, through spinal ligaments and the dura, which is the protective membrane around your spinal cord. Spinal anesthesia begins working almost immediately after the injection is completed. With epidural anesthesia, the needle does not penetrate the dura and medication is deposited just outside of the sac of fluid that surrounds your spinal cord. Epidural anesthesia may be given in a single dose or the anesthetist may leave a tiny flexible tube or catheter in place in the event more aesthetic is required. During a longer than expected procedure. Epidural anesthesia takes about 10 minutes to begin working. After the injection of spinal anesthesia or the removal of an epidural catheter, a small bandage will be placed over the area where the needle was inserted. After spinal anesthesia, you will be kept in bed with your head flat for several hours.
"[I] have come to rely upon the Doe Report and your great staff of
illustrators for all my medical malpractice cases. … Please know
that I enthusiastically recommend you to all my colleagues.
Frank Rothermel
Bernhardt & Rothermel
"I thought you might want to know that after we sent a copy of your
illustration to the defendants, with a copy to
the insurance company, they increased their offer by an additional million
dollars and the case was settled for $1,900,000.00.
I appreciate your help!"
O. Fayrell Furr, Jr.
Furr, Henshaw & Ohanesian
Myrtle Beach, SC
www.scmedicalmalpractice.com
"I wanted to take some time out to let you know what a wonderful job you did
with the 'collapsed lung/fractured rib' illustrations. They were both
detailed and accurate. My medical expert was comfortable working with them
and he spent at least an hour explaining to the jury the anatomy of the
lungs, the ribs and the injuries depicted in the illustrations. Needless to
say, the jury was riveted to the doctor during his testimony.
The jury returned a verdict for $800,000.00 and I'm sure we would not have
done so well if not for the visualizations we were able to put forth with
your assistance. Lastly, my special thanks to Alice [Senior Medical
Illustrator] who stayed late on Friday night and patiently dealt with my
last minute revisions."
Daniel J. Costello
Proner & Proner
New York, NY
"This past year, your company prepared three medical illustrations for our cases; two in which we received six figure awards; one in which we received a substantial seven figure award. I believe in large part, the amounts obtained were due to the vivid illustrations of my clients' injuries and the impact on the finder of fact."
Donald W. Marcari
Marcari Russotto & Spencer, P.C.
Chesapeake, VA
Medical Legal Art creates medical demonstrative evidence (medical
illustrations, drawings, pictures, graphics, charts, medical animations,
anatomical models, and interactive presentations) for use during legal
proceedings, including research, demand letters, client conferences,
depositions, arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences, mock jury
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advice. If you have legal questions, you should find a lawyer with whom you
can discuss your case issues. If you have medical questions, you should seek the advice of a healthcare provider.
