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Resistance to fluid flow through two spinal needles
Author(s) -
TOOMEY P. J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1990.tb14446.x
Subject(s) - medicine , backflow , subarachnoid space , cerebrospinal fluid , flow resistance , cerebral spinal fluid , anesthesia , cerebrospinal fluid pressure , flow (mathematics) , biomedical engineering , intracranial pressure , surgery , mechanics , inlet , mechanical engineering , physics , engineering
Summary A new needle, 120 mm long and 26 gauge in diameter, has been introduced for subarachnoid anaesthesia. The resistance to flow through the needle was measured using a pressure monitor infusion pump and compared with the resistance to flow through a 90‐mm 26‐gauge needle; there was a threefold increase in resistance in the 120‐mm needle compared to the 90‐mm needle, which could not be explained by the difference in length alone and must reflect a decrease in the internal diameter of the long needle. This results in difficulty in identifying the subarachnoid space by backflow of cerebrospinal fluid.