Operator risk factors for accidental dural puncture rate in obstetrics (OAA abstract, 2021)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijoa.2021.102994

An Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association (OAA) meeting abstract (O.8) by J. Kirby and R. Baraz (Department of Anaesthetics, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff), published in the International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia abstracts supplement, vol. 46 (2021).

In a service evaluation of 4,837 labour epidurals, the rate of accidental dural puncture was highest between 4:00–6:00am (4%, against an overall rate of 1.3%) — coinciding with the circadian nadir, when operator fatigue and reduced alertness are greatest.