Question

After undergoing dural puncture while receiving epidural pain medication, a patient complains of a headache. Which action can help alleviate the patients pain?

1) Encourage the client to ambulate to promote flow of spinal fluid.

2) Offer caffeinated beverages to constrict blood vessels in his head.

3) Encourage coughing and deep breathing to increase CSF pressure.

4) Restrict oral fluid intake to prevent excess spinal pressure.

Answer 1

To relieve a post-dural puncture headache, it is recommended to offer the patient caffeinated beverages due to their vasoconstrictive properties that can help alleviate headache pain. Encouraging ambulation, coughing, deep breathing, or restricting fluids are not advisable for this situation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Post-dural puncture headaches are often a consequence of reduced cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, which occurs after a dural puncture. To alleviate the headache, one recommended action is to offer caffeinated beverages. Caffeine has vasoconstrictive properties that can help to reduce blood vessel dilation in the head and thus may relieve headache pain. Encouraging ambulation would not be recommended as it can potentially worsen the headache by further lowering spinal fluid pressure. Likewise, restricting fluid intake is generally not advisable as adequate hydration can aid CSF production. Coughing and deep breathing may increase intrathoracic pressure but are not effective methods to increase CSF pressure and relieve this type of headache.