The effect of spinal introducer needle use on postoperative back pain.

Postdural puncture back pain has a reported incidence ranging from 2% to 29% following the administration of a spinal anesthetic. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the back pain and patient satisfaction scores after the administration of a spinal anesthetic with or without the use of an 18-gauge introducer needle. Eighty-four men and women were randomly assigned to either control or experimental groups; 67 were included in data analysis. The control group (n = 33) received spinal anesthesia using only a spinal needle, while the experimental group (n = 34) received spinal anesthesia using an introducer needle to guide the placement of the spinal needle. Pain measurements were measured using a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale upon arrival in the postanesthesia care unit, and at 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively. Patient satisfaction scores were evaluated using a 1 to 5 Lickert scale. No significant differences were found between groups concerning back pain or patient satisfaction scores upon discharge from the postanesthesia care unit, nor at 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively. However, a significant increase in the number of redirections between groups was observed in the nonintroducer group; despite this, back pain and patient satisfaction scores were not affected.