Rates of Epidural Blood Patch following Lumbar Puncture Comparing Atraumatic versus Bevel-Tip Needles Stratified for Body Mass Index.

Using a 22-ga pencil-tip Whitacre needle resulted in lower epidural blood patch rates compared with a 22-ga Quincke needle in all patients. Subgroup analysis demonstrated a statistically significant difference in epidural blood patch rates in overweight and obese populations, but not in patients with a normal body mass index.