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Papers of the Week


2020 Apr 24


Int J Obstet Anesth


43

Permanent hearing loss and tinnitus following epidural analgesia complicated by accidental dural puncture.

Authors

O'Shaughnessy SM, Fitzgerald CWR, Katiri R, Kieran S, Loughrey JPR
Int J Obstet Anesth. 2020 Apr 24; 43:9-12.
PMID: 32437913.

Abstract

We report a case of permanent high-frequency hearing loss and tinnitus in a 38-year-old woman following an unrecognised dural puncture during epidural placement. The patient reported subjective unilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, along with a post-dural puncture headache, four hours post-delivery. The patient's headache resolved following two epidural blood patches, however, hearing loss and tinnitus persisted longer than two years. Long-term auditory symptoms following epidural analgesia in labour are very unusual findings.