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OBSTETRIC ANESTHESIA

Lumbar Spondylodiscitis Caused by Propionibacterium acnes After Epidural Obstetric Analgesia

Joaquín Hernández-Palazón, MD PhD^*, J. Pablo Puertas-García, MD, Juan F. Martínez-Lage, MD, and José A. Tortosa, MD PhD^*

Departments of *Anesthesia, Orthopedic Surgery, and Neurosurgery, Hospital Universitario "Virgen de la Arrixaca," Murcia, Spain

Address correspondence and reprint requests to J. Hernández-Palazón, MD, PhD, San Ignacio de Loyola, 4-2° B, 30001 Murcia, Spain. Address e-mail to joapal{at}teleline.es

IMPLICATIONS: We report a case of Propionibacterium acnes spondylodiscitis after the placement of an epidural catheter for obstetric analgesia. This observation should alert the anesthesiologist to the fact that infection, although rare, may occur after uneventful epidural analgesia in the healthy parturient and reinforces the importance of aseptic technique during epidural catheter insertion.