Epidural blood patch in the treatment of severe post dural puncture headache after spinal anesthesia: A rare case report

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Spinal anesthesia is a type of regional anesthesia that involves injecting a local anesthetic directly into the cerebrospinal fluid. In Ethiopia, the prevalence of PDPH was 42.6%, with large spinal needles and repeated attempts being independently associated risk factors. CASE PRESENTATION: A 20-year-old woman is undergoing a cesarean section while under spinal anesthesia. On the second postoperative day, the patient begins to complain of PDPH-like headaches. The headache was severe according to the VAS score, and the team attempted to manage it using the WHO analgesic ladder, but it was refractory to supportive and pharmaceutical therapy. We then used EPDBP, and the headache was promptly reduced. The treatment had a considerable impact on the movement, satisfaction, and discharge conditions of the patients. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: A prospective research conducted in Helsinki found that EBP was effective in 88–96% of the patients in the various study groups. One randomized, double-blind trial on the therapeutic efficacy of EPDBP found that it is an effective treatment for PDPH. It provides complete symptom relief in a high number of people. In the remaining patients, it lessens the severity of their headaches and allows them to resume their normal activities. An epidural blood patch is a highly successful treatment option for a subset of people suffering from post-Dural puncture headache. It is an elective procedure with a low risk of complications. CONCLUSION: The epidural blood patch procedure that we use proved helpful in treating severe PDPH after spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. There were no complications associated with the procedure until she was discharged from the hospital.