Causes, Effects & Management of Post Dural Puncture Headache among Obstetric Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital: An Observational Study

Background: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a complication of dura mater puncture. In order to reduce the burden and related morbidity, postpartum women who suffer from PDPH must be identified and treated as soon as possible utilizing highly effective, noninvasive approaches that are simple to apply in settings with limited resources. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the causes, effects & management of post dural puncture headache among obstetric patients in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: The cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the department of Surgery, North Bengal Medical College Hospital, Sirajgonj, Bangladesh, from October 2022 to September 2023. A total of 300 patients were included in the study. The questionnaire was pretested, corrected and finalized. Data were collected by face-to-face interview and analyzed by appropriate computer based programmed software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 24. Results: In this study, most of the 104 (34.7%) patients were within the age group of 31 - 35 years. The mean±SD age of the patients was 32.6±1.3 years. BMI of most of the patients 137 (45.7%) were in the normal range (18.5 to <24.9), 103 (34.3%) had overweight (25-29.9), 37 (12.3%) were obese (≥30.0) and 23 (7.7%) had underweight (<18.5). Most of the patients 133 (44.3%) were multipara, among 300 patients 214 (71.3%) patients gestational age was >37 weeks and 86 (28.7%) patients gestational age was<37 weeks. About 49 (16.3%) had preexisting/ pregnancy-related medical conditions and emergency surgery was done in 217 (72.3%) patients. The majority of the participants 251 (83.7%) had only one attempt at the puncture, and all 300 (100.0%) were in a sitting position during the procedure, and a 25G-sized spinal needle was used in 296 (98.7%) of the patients. Most participants reported cerebrospinal fluid loss as minimal. Majority of the 231 (77.0%) patients had previous history of PDPH. All 300 (100.0%) ..