Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 9/22/2009

Question
I am having surgery on Tuesday and thinking I want a spinal plus sedation instead of general.  3 years ago I had surgery (female issues) and the tube down my throat damaged something in my throat.  I am having an anal spincteroplasty and tension free vaginal tape put in for my bladder.  Do you recommend a spinal for a procedure like this?  What are the risk of complications?  I do not want to be awake, but do not want to end up with a chronic cough again for 3 years before they can fix it. Thanks for your time and help.

Answer
You can certainly do this case with a spinal. The risks are very small and, assuming you are otherwise healthy, very rare. Risks include bleeding, nerve damage, infection, high spinal but all of these are vanishingly rare. The most common complaint I hear is there is some pain at the site of injection for a few days post-op.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston