Meningitis following spinal anesthesia

Abstract

Iatrogenic meningitis is a rare, but potentially fatal condition. We report four cases of meningitis after spinal anesthesia and review the possible etiological factors of post spinal meningitis. An important cause include mainly break in sterile technique with direct introduction of bacteria. However, usually clustering of cases by single anesthesiologist is reported. We report a series of cases in short duration by different anesthesiologists' in different operation theatres of the same hospital even with maximum sterile barrier. The difficulty in differentiation between aseptic and bacterial meningitis is noted. Finally, since delay in the diagnosis may result in morbidity and mortality, it is crucial to rule out rarest of the causes with thorough investigations and high index of suspicion.