National Audit Project 3

National Audit Project 3 - Major complications of Central Neuraxial Block in the UK
Also known as NAP3, this is a project undertaken by the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 2007 which was designed to discover:
#What types of central neuraxial blockade are used in the UK and how often.
#How often do major complications, leading to permanent harm occur as a result.
#what happens to the patients experiencing these complications?
Results
*Just over 700 000 Central Neuraxial Blocks per year in the UK.
*Between 14 and 30 permanent injuries, between 1:24 000 and 1:54 000
*paraplegia/death 1:50 000
*2/3 of severe injuries resolved fully.
*vertebral canal haematoma, and spinal cord ischaemia both have a poor prognosis.
*low incidence of permanent harm from CNB for obstetric indications between 1 in 80 000 and 1 in 320 000.
*Increased risk associated with perioperative combined spinal epidurals, around 1 in 8 000 had permanent harm.
*There was avoidable harm due to failure to identify and act upon symptoms of complications of epidurals.
*Organisational deficiencies contributed to delays in treatment of complications
Link for reference
http://www.rcoa.ac.uk/nap3-brief-summary-of-major-results

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