LESI LESI Post-Procedure Care and Outcomes

Question 1

How long should patients typically be observed in recovery after an LESI before discharge?

Accepted Answer

15-30 minutes

Answer

Patients are typically observed for 15-30 minutes post-ESI to monitor for immediate complications such as vasovagal reactions, allergic responses, or unexpected motor block from local anesthetic.

Question 2

Patients should be instructed to avoid which activity for 24 hours following LESI?

Accepted Answer

Driving or operating heavy machinery

Answer

Patients should not drive for 24 hours after ESI because residual local anesthetic effects, sedation from pre-procedural medications, and potential for unexpected neurological effects impair safe driving.

Question 3

Which outcome measure is most commonly used to assess pain relief following LESI in clinical practice?

Accepted Answer

Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) or Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain intensity

Answer

The NRS (0-10) and VAS are the standard patient-reported outcome measures for tracking pain intensity before and after ESI in both clinical practice and research settings.

Question 4

What is the appropriate response if a patient calls 48 hours post-ESI reporting worsening back pain and a fever of 101.5°F?

Accepted Answer

Direct immediately to emergency department for urgent evaluation to exclude epidural abscess

Answer

Back pain with fever after ESI must be treated as epidural abscess until proven otherwise; urgent emergency evaluation with MRI is required because delays can result in permanent paralysis.

Question 5

After an ESI, when is the optimal time to assess whether the injection was clinically effective?

Accepted Answer

2-4 weeks after injection (allowing full steroid effect)

Answer

The full anti-inflammatory effect of epidural corticosteroids takes 1-2 weeks to develop; re-evaluation at 2-4 weeks provides the best assessment of clinical benefit.

LESI - Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection Practice Test

LESI - Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection Practice Test

LESI LESI Post-Procedure Care and Outcomes