An evidence-based practice guideline is proposed for the prevention and management of post-dural puncture headache, recommending treatments such as epidural blood patch, gabapentin, and ACTH.
Do evidence-based management strategies improve the prevention and relief of post-dural puncture headache in obstetric patients?
This review standardizes the management of post-dural puncture headache in obstetric patients by proposing an evidence-based guideline that challenges traditional conservative therapies.
Post-dural puncture headache continues to be a significant cause of morbidity in parturients. Despite being a common complication faced by many anesthesiologists, there is a lack of consensus regarding its management. Many still use traditionally taught treatments such as strict bed rest and aggressive hydration despite lack of evidence for their usage. Few are using newly tested treatments such as gabapentin and ACTH despite being proven effective in randomized controlled trials. Furthermore, when and how the epidural blood patch should be used is contentious between different practitioners. This review aims at answering what is the best strategy to manage post-dural puncture headache and proposes an evidence-based practice guideline.
Nguyen et al. (Wed,) conducted a review in Post-Dural Puncture Headache (PDPH). Evidence-based management strategies (e.g., epidural blood patch, gabapentin, ACTH) was evaluated. An evidence-based practice guideline is proposed for the prevention and management of post-dural puncture headache, recommending treatments such as epidural blood patch, gabapentin, and ACTH.