Neuroaxial Blocks, Epidurals & Spinals Flashcards
What terms match up? 1. Epidural 2. Spinal block 3. SAB (subarachnoid block) 4. Peridural 5. Intrathecal 6. Extradural 7. Caudal
1, 4, 6, 7 2, 3, 5
How many curvatures are there in the spine?
4
Anterior or posterior curve? 1. Cervical 2. Thoracic 3. Lumbar 4. Sacral
- Anterior 2. Posterior 3. Anterior 4. Posterior
How many vertebrae are in each category? 1. Cervical 2. Thoracic 3. Lumbar 4. Sacral 5. Coccygeal
- 7 2. 12 3. 5 4. 5 5. 4
What two types of vertebrae are fused in adults?
Sacral and coccygeal
What level does the spinal cord stop from? And what emerges from there?
L1 and the cauda equina emerges from there
What level is the line drawn from the lower borders of the scapula?
T7
What spinal level is the line is drawn between the iliac crests? And what is the name for this?
L4 - Tuffier’s Line
What is the line between the posterior superior iliac spines?
S2 - distal extent of the dural sac
What is the term for a baricity greater than the spinal fluid? Hyper or hypobaric?
Hyperbaric
What are the 6 common parts of a vertebrae? And how many of each?
1 vertebral body 2 pedicles 2 transverse processes 2 laminae 1 spinous process 4 articular processes
What is the function of the 2 pedicles on the vertebra?
Notched for nerve roots
What is the function of the transverse processes on the vertebra?
Muscle attachments
What is the function of the 4 articular processes on the vertebra?
Synovial joints or faucet joints. Enable the spine to bend, move and twist.
What spinous process are more horizontal: Lumbar, cervical or throacic?
Lumbar & cervical
What vertebrae laminae are more vertical in orientation?
The more caudal vertebra
What vertebrae have shorter and broader spinous processes?
Lumbar
What ligament joins the vertebral spines?
supraspinous ligament
What ligament extends from the occipital protuberance to the coccyx?
supraspinous ligament
What ligament is between the spinous processes?
Interspinous ligament
What ligament extends from the foramen magnum to the sacral hiatus and is thickest in the lumbar area?
Ligamentum flavum
What three ligaments do you transverse when you are placing an epidural?
Supraspinous ligament, transverse ligament, and ligmentum flavum.
When will you know that you are in the epidural space?
When you loose resistance after crossing the ligmentum flavum
The epidural space extends from what area to what area?
base of the skull to the sacrococcygeal membrane.
The epidural space contains what?
epidural veins, fat, lymphatics, arteries, and nerve roots
What is the distance from the surface of the skin to the epidural space?
2.5cm to 8cm
What spinal level does the spinal cord extend to in adults and what level in children?
Adults: L1 Children: L3
What is the term for the tapered end of the spinal cord?
Conus medullaris
What structure anchors the spinal cord to the coccyx?
Flium Terminale
What are the nerve roots called that originate from the conus medullaris? And how does the spinal needle affect these nerve roots?
Cauda equina (“horses tail”) The spinal needle pushes the nerve roots away
Label these 10 items
What are the three meninges from deep to superficial?
Pia mater, arachnoid mater, and dura mater
What meninges are thin?
Pia and arachnoid maters
What meninges are thick?
Dura mater
What meninge directly covers the spinal cord?
Pia mater
What meninge is spider web-like?
Arachnoid mater
What space contains the CSF?
Subarachonid space
What meninge is the outer layer that is the consistency of an egg membrane?
Dura mater
What area of the spinal cord is supplied by the anterior spinal artery? Is this artery single or paird? And where does this artery arise from?
Supplies the anterior 2/3 of the spinal cord.
Single.
Arises from the vertebral artery.
What does the posterior spinal artery supply blood to? Is this single or paired artery? What does this artery arise from?
posterior 1/3 of the cord
Paired
Arises from the cerebellar arteries
What is the artery in the spinal cord that aries from the aorta? What does it supply blood to? What level in the spine is this artery found?
Artery of Adamkiewicz
Major blood supply to the anterior lower 2/3 of the cord
Between T11 and L3
What is the term for the area between the radicular arteries on the spinal cord? What type of blood flow occurs in these areas? Why is this siginificant during low-flow states? Between which specific arteries does this occur?
Watershed zones
Could be a lack of direct blood supply
Could be areas of ischemia
Between cervical radicular artery and thoracic radicular artery or between thoracic radicular artery and radicularis magma
What is another name for radicularis magma? And what does this artery supply blood to?
Artery of Adamkiewicz
The lower 2/3 of the spinal cord
Where is the CSF made?
Choroid plexus
Where is the CSF absorbed?
arachnoid villi
How much (mls) CSF is produced daily?
500cc
What is the total volume of the CSF?
120-150ml