Was a prophylactic epidural blood patch indicated in this setting?
Use of prophylactic epidural blood patches is controversial. The epidural blood patch is not without some risk. Common side effects of epidural blood patch include pain at the site of injection and back and lower extremity discomfort. Less common complications include compression of nerve roots and radiculopathy with resultant with lower extremity sensory disturbances and weakness. Sudden increases in intracranial hemorrhage with rapid injections can result in intraocular hemorrhage. Another consideration is that the epidural blood patch may be less effective in early PDPHs, with a failure rate of 71% when performed within the first 24 hours compared with a failure rate of 4% when delayed. An alternative interpretation of these data is that the headaches which present earlier are more severe and resistant to treatment.