Abstract
Difficulty in removing catheter is one of the complications of epidural anesthesia, but it is very rare that it is caused by the formation knots in a catheter. A 21-year-old man was prepared for an operation on a femoral fracture. Epidural puncture was performed between L3 and L4. During the catheter insertion there was no sign of neurological incidence and postoperative epidural analgesia was sufficient. The next day, a surgeon tried to extract the catheter but could not. X-ray examination with a contrast showed the tip of the catheter located 3cm under the skin surface, then the catheter was drawn out under local infiltration anesthesia. A knot was found to have formed on the tip of the catheter.
In the case that X-ray examination shows a suspicion of knots forming in a catheter in shallow tissue, considering the possibility of infection and patient anxiety, a surgical procedure should be done as soon as possible.
