Broken epidural needle found in mum's spine 14 years later

When Amy Bright gave birth to her youngest son in 2003, it never crossed her mind that she would end up with an epidural needle left in her spine.

But two months after her C-section, Bright began experiencing severe back pain. Later, over the years she also suffered nerve damage and it was difficult for her to use her left leg and foot. At first, doctors thought it was sciatica.

According to Mayo Clinic, sciatica it is a type of pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve, usually affecting only one side of the body.

However, the truth was finally revealed after a CT scan showed a portion of a broken needle sticking out of her spine. The last time she had an epidural was during her delivery more than a decade ago.

Amy Bright’s CT Scans showing the epidural needle left in her spine | Image courtesy of Sean B. Cronin, Esq

According to Bright and her attorney Sean Cronin, a large part of a spinal needle had broken off and was embedded in Bright’s lower back. The needle measuring three centimetres long is lodged in Bright’s spine, with the majority part of it directly “buried into the bone.”

Bright was extremely upset and scared when she spoke with People:

“Every time I move and walk and bend and twist and sleep, that needle moves inside my spine. For 14 years, I’ve been creating scar tissue in my spine from this needle moving. I’m angry.”

For 14 years she endured the back pain. Doctors prescribed her painkillers, muscle relaxants and other medications to help with the pain.

“It has gotten to the point where it just burns constantly. I’m very scared of my future. [My leg] is getting weaker. I’m probably going to be in a wheelchair. It’s scary because I don’t know.”

It is too late to remove the needle now as doctors and experts tell Bright she might risk getting paralyzed. 

Amy Bright, the mum with an epidural needle left in her spine | Image courtesy of Sean B. Cronin

Bright and her attorney are insisting that the whole matter was not disclosed. There was no way the doctors couldn’t have known that the needle had broken and part of it was in Bright’s body.

According to Cronin, the needles are about 9 or 10 centimetres long and have a tip on the end. It is the job of the anaesthesiologist to inspect that they retract the whole needle.

“They knew this was in her, according to our experts, because so much of the needle was missing. And the safety tip is still in her.”