Cervical Epidural Anaesthesia for Breast and Thyroid Surgeries ? A Safe Alternative Approach to General Anaesthesia

The technique of cervical epidural anaesthesia (CEA) was first described by Dogliotti in 1933 for upper thoracic procedures. Cervical epidural anaesthesia can be administered in surgeries of neck, upper arm and chest. It has gained popularity due to its safety, relative bloodless field, stable hemodynamic, minimal morbidity and early postoperative recovery. The technique has become popular as it avoids the potentially arrythmogenic and myocardial depressant effects of anaesthetics used in general anaesthesia (GA), specially in patients with cardio respiratory disorders.