Príbeh Tuohyho ihly Eponymá v anestéziológii // SOLEN

Anestéziológia a intenzívna medicína 1/2026

The Story of Tuohy‘s needle. Eponyms in anesthesiology

Edward B. Tuohy influenced modern anesthesia in the field of neuraxial blockade. By introducing continuous spinal and epidural catheter techniques, he allowed for the advancement of shunt anesthesia from episodic procedures to continuous methods suitable for long-term surgery during World War II. The history of spinal needle is started in 1885 by J. Leonard Corning. Modern needle tip designs, from the truncated beveled shape, have evolved to the atraumatic tip and pencil-shaped tip that are commonly used today. The stylet needle used for continuous epidural anesthesia is based on an original design popularized in 1945 by E. B. Tuohy. It is called the „Tuohy needle.“ It has recently been discovered that the inventor of this widely used needle was dentist Ralph L. Huber. Very little is known about Huber and he was forgotten until recently.

Keywords: spinal needle, continual spinal anesthesia, E. B. Tuohy