Inadvertent Knot Formation on a Lumbar Epidural Catheter:  A Rare Complication

Ricardo Serna-Muñoz; Roberto Jimenez-Contreras; Jose Eduardo Etulain-Gonzalez; Ana Cristina Gonzalez-Estavillo; Mario Sánchez Franco MD

doi:10.9734/jammr/2025/v37i45788

Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Inadvertent Knot Formation on a Lumbar Epidural Catheter: A Rare Complication

Ricardo Serna-Muñoz, Roberto Jimenez-Contreras, Jose Eduardo Etulain-Gonzalez, Ana Cristina Gonzalez-Estavillo, Mario Sánchez Franco MD

Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research · pp. 150–155 · Published 27 Mar 2025

10.9734/jammr/2025/v37i45788

Abstract

The knotting of an epidural catheter is an unusual complication that can result in disfunction of the catheter, difficult removal and may require surgical management.We report a case of knot formation on a lumbar epidural catheter, introduced at the L2-L3 level, which presented difficulty during withdrawal. Lumbar CT images were taken to evaluate the knot position and discuss posible solutions. The catheter was successfully removed without breakage, showing a simple knot 7 mm from its end. No neurological complications were observed. This case report demonstrates that knot formation in a lumbar epidural catheter is possible. Anesthesiology professionals should consider this complication when experiencing resistance during catheter withdrawal or injection.

Regional anesthesia neuraxial anesthesia epidural analgesia device removal catheter postoperative analgesia

Cited by 0

No indexed citations yet.

A Prospective Study Comparing 0.25% Bupivacaine and 0.375% Ropivacaine in Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Laparoscopic Abdominal Surgery — shares topic coverage
Comparison between Traditional Thoracotomy and Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery: Anaesthetic Approach and Post-operative Analgesia — shares topic coverage
Ultrasound Guided Femoral Nerve Block with Bupivacaine versus Bupivacaine and Tramadol for Postoperative Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty under Spinal Anesthesia — shares topic coverage
Comparative Randomised Study between Bupivacaine with Clonidine and Ropivacaine with Clonidine Used Caudally for Postopertaive Analgesia in Paediatric Hypospadias Surgery — shares topic coverage
Labor Analgesia and Its Impact on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes: Balancing Benefits, Risks, and Unresolved Questions — shares topic coverage

Access this article

View at publisher

Cite this article

Ricardo Serna-Muñoz, Roberto Jimenez-Contreras, Jose Eduardo Etulain-Gonzalez, Ana Cristina Gonzalez-Estavillo, Mario Sánchez Franco MD (2025). Inadvertent Knot Formation on a Lumbar Epidural Catheter: A Rare Complication. Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research , 150–155. https://doi.org/10.9734/jammr/2025/v37i45788

Affiliations

Ricardo Serna-Muñoz — The American British Cowdray Medical Center, Mexico City, Mexico.
Roberto Jimenez-Contreras — The American British Cowdray Medical Center, Mexico City, Mexico.
Jose Eduardo Etulain-Gonzalez — The American British Cowdray Medical Center, Mexico City, Mexico.
Ana Cristina Gonzalez-Estavillo — The American British Cowdray Medical Center, Mexico City, Mexico.
Mario Sánchez Franco MD — The American British Cowdray Medical Center, Mexico City, Mexico.

Metrics

38
Views: 0
Downloads: 0
Citations: 3
Outbound

Full metrics

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

38

Page views

0

PDF downloads

3

Outbound clicks

0

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.