Unintentional epidural injection of 88 μg·kg(-1) of epinephrine

Paediatr Anaesth. 2014 Nov;24(11):1185-7. doi: 10.1111/pan.12503. Epub 2014 Aug 11.

Abstract

We report the effects of 88 μg·kg(-1) of epinephrine (1:10,000) injected into the caudal epidural space of a 42-week postconceptual age infant. No long-term neurological or cardiovascular sequelae occurred. Noninvasive cardiac output (CO) monitoring revealed increased CO, contractility, and stroke volume for about an hour, accompanied by a reduction in peripheral vascular resistance and a modest increase in pulse and blood pressure.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01499615.

Keywords: adverse events; drug overdose; epinephrine; noninvasive monitors; pharmacodynamics; sacral epidural.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / administration & dosage*
  • Anesthesia, Epidural / methods*
  • Blood Pressure / drug effects
  • Cardiac Output / drug effects
  • Epinephrine / administration & dosage*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Heart Rate / drug effects
  • Heart Ventricles / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / chemically induced
  • Infant
  • Injections, Epidural
  • Medication Errors*
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / methods
  • Tachycardia / chemically induced
  • Vascular Resistance / drug effects

Substances

  • Adrenergic alpha-Agonists
  • Epinephrine

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01499615