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Glite Dictionary
caudal block

caudal block

7.1
An injection of pain medicine into the lower part of the spine to numb the lower body for surgery
  • noun
  • /ˈkɔːdəl blɒk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bloqueo caudal
  • Because a caudal block numbs the lower half of the body, it is commonly used in pediatric operations.

Examples

  • The surgeon recommended a caudal block for the child's hernia repair surgery.

  • Advances in anesthesiology have led to epidural anesthesia largely replacing the caudal block in adults.

  • The surgeon recommended a caudal block for the procedure.

  • Many patients prefer a caudal block over general anesthesia.

  • Because a caudal block numbs the lower half of the body, it is commonly used in pediatric operations.

  • The surgeon recommended a caudal block for the child's hernia repair surgery.

  • Many patients prefer a caudal block over general anesthesia.

Synonyms

caudal anesthesia
vscaudal block
  • Specialized
8.1

An injection of numbing medicine near the lower spine to make the lower body feel nothing for surgery

is the identical procedure named with an alternate technical term

Surface Forms

caudal block singular
caudal blocks plural

Morphology

caudal + block

The components 'caudal' (rear/lower) and 'block' (a stopping/obstruction) transparently convey the idea of a block located at the lower/rear part of the body, so a learner could infer a location-based intervention. However, the phrase names a specialized medical procedure (an anesthetic/nerve block) and uses 'block' in a technical sense that is not fully predictable from the everyday verb 'to stop', so full meaning would likely require domain knowledge.

Etymology

Caudal block comes from a simple medical image: caudal means 'at the tail or bottom' and block means 'to stop'. Doctors inject medicine near the bottom of the spine to 'block' feeling in the lower body, so the phrase means 'numbing the lower half of the body'.