“How long does an epidural last for knee surgery?”
I will have knee surgery under epidural anesthesia. How long does an epidural last for knee surgery?
7 Answers
Usually for a total knee replacement they would give spinal anesthesia not epidural. Can be done with epidural and a catheter is left in and it will last as long as they keep redosing the catheter.
Great question. That will all depend on the dose you get and when the epidural shuts off. Assuming it’s for intraop only and not run post-op. Once it’s off, you can expect to regain feeling and function anywhere between 2-6 hours. Hope that helps!
If they will insert a tube in the epidural space, then the effect of the anesthetic medication will last as long as the epidural catheter is in place and anesthetic meds are infused continuously. After the catheter/tube is removed the effect of the medication will be dependent on the type and dose of the medication infused.
Typically, this would be under spinal anesthesia versus epidural anesthesia. Either way, the duration can be anywhere from about 1 to 4 hours depending on the medication used and the total dose.
"Artists are the people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide." -Donald Woods Winnicott
"Artists are the people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide." -Donald Woods Winnicott
It depends on what, when, and how the it is used. Your anesthesiologist can make it last for only a few hours to days. Make sure you talk to your anesthesiologist before the surgery. Good luck!
Typically, knee surgery is not handled by epidural anesthesia. Instead, it’s under spinal anesthesia. Typically, spinal anesthesia lasts 2-3 hrs which is adequate to cover the surgery. If it’s under epidural, it lasts much longer according to the need of the surgery team, since it can be reduced all the time.
Up to 48-72 hours for post-op pain management.
