Morbidly obese patients present a clinical challenge for anesthesia staff performing subarachnoid punctures. Difficulties arise due to anatomic changes that obscure landmarks for guiding needle placement in the lumbar subarachnoid space. Here's an innovative technique you can use for placement of a continuous lumbar spinal catheter using a Touhy epidural needle with an open-ended epidural catheter. We call it the Sharpie Technique.