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

S M O'Shaughnessy; C W R Fitzgerald; R Katiri; S Kieran; J P R Loughrey

doi:10.1016/j.ijoa.2020.04.007

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

Int J Obstet Anesth. 2020 Aug:43:9-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2020.04.007. Epub 2020 Apr 24.

Authors

S M O'Shaughnessy¹, C W R Fitzgerald², R Katiri², S Kieran², J P R Loughrey³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anaesthesiology, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: oshaugs@tcd.ie.
² Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
³ Department of Anaesthesiology, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.

PMID: 32437913
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2020.04.007

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.

Keywords: Complications; Epidural anaesthesia; Patient safety.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Adult
Analgesia, Epidural / adverse effects*
Analgesia, Obstetrical / adverse effects*
Blood Patch, Epidural / methods
Epidural Space
Female
Hearing Loss / etiology*
Humans
Post-Dural Puncture Headache / etiology*
Post-Dural Puncture Headache / therapy
Spinal Puncture / adverse effects*
Tinnitus / etiology*