Anesthetic practice for Caesarean section and factors influencing anesthesiologists' choice of anesthesia: a population-based study

Surveying anesthesia care provision and deficiencies among the secondary public sector hospitals of rural Sindh, Pakistan

PURPOSE

Provision of anesthesia care must go hand in hand with surgical care to equitably widen surgical coverage of underserved populations, especially the rural segments of low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to assess the availability of key items and infrastructure needed for anesthesia care.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey at ten subdistrict or taluqa headquarter (THQ) hospitals and five district headquarter (DHQ) hospitals in six rural districts of the Sindh province of Pakistan using the Anesthesia Facility Assessment Tool. We assessed the domains of infrastructure, workforce, service delivery, conduct of anesthesia, equipment, and medications. We also scored these components and then compared the difference in mean scores.

RESULTS

Three hospitals did not meet the minimum bed number required for a secondary hospital. Four hospitals had nonfunctioning operating rooms and conducted procedures elsewhere. Ten had full-time, certified anesthesiologists, while 11 had a postanesthesia care unit. There were only two hospitals with critical care units providing mechanical ventilation, and only one hospital conducting telemetry. Six hospitals did not have a dedicated anesthesia provider present at all times. Thirteen hospitals did not use the World Health Organization preoperative checklist before performing procedures. There were deficiencies in drugs such as hypnotics, opioids, and vasopressors.

CONCLUSION

There are many shortcomings in anesthesia care provision among these rural hospitals. Greater attention and investment are needed to safely conduct anesthesia in this setting.

Anesthetic Practices for Lower Segment Cesarean Section in the Sultanate of Oman: A National Survey

Background Over the years, obstetric anesthesia has evolved into a comprehensive sub-specialty. Several countries have their guidelines and recommendations for obstetric anesthesia. This survey aimed to describe the current obstetric anesthesia practices in the Sultanate of Oman by performing a questionnaire-based survey. Methods The Ministry of Health-Centre approved the survey for Studies and Research, Sultanate of Oman (MOH-CSR/25057). A Google Form with 25 questions (seven general questions and 18 specific questions) was initially shared in a WhatsApp group of members of the Oman Society of Anaesthesia and Critical Care (OSACC). Anesthesiologists who were not members were contacted directly and responses were recorded. Results Responses were accepted until midnight on December 31, 2023. The number of responses received was 66. Variations in practices like less compliance to Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways, use of oxytocin, and choice of intrathecal opioids were observed. Labor analgesia was not practiced by 30.3% of respondents. The majority of respondents did not follow international recommendations regarding the use of the uterotonic drug oxytocin. Conclusion A lot of heterogeneity in the practice of obstetric anesthesia in the Sultanate of Oman was observed. The limitations included the relatively low number of responses and many aspects that were missed in the survey. The findings of this survey will help in establishing a national task force for obstetric anesthesia, which will guide the members of the task force to develop practice guidelines based on international recommendations and the latest evidence.

Comparison of Post-Cesarean Pain Perception of General Versus Regional Anesthesia, a Single-Center Study

Background and Objectives: Pain during and after the procedure remains the leading concern among women undergoing cesarean section. Numerous studies have concluded that the type of anesthesia used during a cesarean section undoubtedly affects the intensity and experience of pain after the operation. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Clinical Center "Dragisa Misovic-Dedinje", Belgrade, Serbia. Patients at term pregnancy (37-42 weeks of gestation) with an ASA I score who delivered under general (GEA) or regional anesthesia (RA) by cesarean section were included in the study. Following the procedure, we assessed pain using the Serbian McGill questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the pain attributes questionnaire at pre-established time intervals of 2, 12, and 24 h after the procedure. Additionally, time to patient's functional recovery was noted. We also recorded the time to the first independent mobilization, first oral intake, and lactation establishment. Results: GEA was performed for 284 deliveries while RA was performed for 249. GEA had significantly higher postoperative sensory and affective pain levels within intervals of 2, 12, and 24 h after cesarean section. GEA had significantly higher postoperative VAS pain levels. On pain attribute scale intensity, GEA had significantly higher postoperative pain levels within all intervals. Patients who received RA had a shorter time to first oral food intake, first independent mobilization, and faster lactation onset in contrast to GEA. Conclusions: The application of RA presented superior postoperative pain relief, resulting in earlier mobilization, shorter time to first oral food intake, and faster lactation onset in contrast to GEA.

Anesthesia and protection in an emergency cesarean section for pregnant woman infected with a novel coronavirus: case report and literature review

An outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia occurred worldwide since December 2019, which had been named COVID-19 subsequently. It is extremely transmissive that infection in pregnant women were unavoidable. The delivery process will produce large amount of contaminated media, leaving a challenge for medical personnel to ensure both the safety of the mother and infant and good self-protection. Only rare cases of pregnant women with COVID-19 are available for reference. Here, we report a 30-year-old woman had reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 at 36 weeks 2 days of gestation. Significant low and high variability of fetal heart rate baseline and severe variable decelerations were repeated after admission. An emergency cesarean section at 37 weeks 1 day of gestation under combined spinal and epidural anesthesia was performed with strict protection for all personnel. Anesthesia and operation went uneventfully. None of the participants were infected. We can conclude that when confronted with cesarean section in parturient with COVID-19, careful planning and detailed preparation can improve the safety of the mother and infant and reduce the risk of infection for medical staff to help preventing and controlling the epidemic.

Emergency cesarean section performed in a patient with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 -a case report

Background

Since the first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) occurred in Wuhan in December 2019, the virus has spread globally. The World Health Organization declared the virus outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. On January 19, 2020, a 35-year-old woman who returned from China was confirmed as the first SARS-CoV-2 infected case in Korea. Since then, it has spread all over Korea.

Case

We report the first case of a SARS-CoV-2 positive woman delivering a baby through cesarean section at 37⁺⁶ weeks of pregnancy in the Republic of Korea.

Conclusions

This case suggested that negative pressure operating room, skillful medical team, and enhanced personal protective equipment including N95 masks, surgical cap, double gown, double gloves, shoe covers, and powered air-purifying respirator are required at the hospital for safe delivery in such a case.

The impact of birth anesthesia on the parameters of oxygenation and acid-base balance in umbilical cord blood

Background: There is a great number of studies dealing with the impact of birth anesthesia on the course of labor and condition of the newborn. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of birth anesthesia on the parameters of oxygenation and acid-base balance in umbilical cord blood.Methods: Subjects were divided into four groups: vaginal delivery without anesthesia, vaginal delivery with epidural anesthesia, delivery by cesarean section under a subarachnoid block, and delivery by cesarean section under general anesthesia. The study included mothers aged 18-45 and their newborns born from a singleton normal pregnancy lasting 37-42 weeks, calculating the date of birth according to Naegele's Rule, which was confirmed by ultrasound assessment. The inclusion criteria were a birth weight between 2800 and 4100 gResults: Hematocrit, total hemoglobin, blood oxygen capacity and carboxyhemoglobin content (umbilical artery and vein mean values respectively in all study groups: 41.9 and 42.6%, 14.3 and 14.5 g/dl, 19.3 and 19.6 ml/dl) were similar in all groups and did not correlate with pH in either group. The mean pH value of umbilical cord arterial blood in the "vaginal delivery with epidural anesthesia" group was 7.27 and was significantly the lowest (p < .05) of all the examined groups, in the remaining groups, the mean values ranged between 7.29 and 7.30. Hemoglobin oxygen saturation, oxygenated hemoglobin content, and total oxygen content in umbilical cord blood were statistically significant (p < .001), almost twice as high in cesarean sections under general anesthesia than in cases of regional anesthesia regardless of the method of delivery. Vaginal deliveries had intermediate values of oxygenation parameters.Conclusion: Blood oxygenation of the fetus is a very good parameter to evaluate the clinical state of the baby. Due to most common hypotension of the mother by the regional anesthesia (subarachnoid or epidural), which is compensated by the application of the vasoconstrictors or only by the fluids, it comes to decrease in the oxygen supply of the fetus. We consider in this study that the general anesthesia can be, in some cases, more indicated than the regional anesthesia. The decision of which kind of anesthesia should be used needs to be made by the anesthetists and also by the obstetrician because it can affect the neonatal state after the delivery. It also needs to be mentioned that the time between the start of the anesthesia and the extraction of the fetus by the cesarean section should be as short as possible.

Current Practice in Obstetric Anesthesia and Analgesia in Public Hospitals of Greece: A 2016 National Survey

Aims:

This descriptive survey was to evaluate the use of regional anesthesia in obstetrics in Greek public hospitals.

Methods:

The survey was conducted between March and August 2016. A structured questionnaire was sent to 50 anesthesia departments in Greek public hospitals with obstetric units.

Results:

The response rate was 94%. Data corresponding to 9475 cesarean and 8155 vaginal deliveries were collected. Regional anesthesia was used in 69.2% of all cesareans, with single shot spinal being the most popular (44.3% of all cesareans). Combined spinal-epidural anesthesia was used in 18.1% of all cesareans (35.1% in hospitals of Athens versus 7.9% outside Athens, p<0.001). Post-cesarean analgesia was applied with simple analgesics and systematic opioids (78.6%). Long-acting spinal opioids were rarely used (4.4% of spinal and spinal/epidurals). Labor epidural analgesia was applied in 19.1% of all vaginal deliveries (30.3% in Athens versus 13.1% outside Athens, p<0.001). Paracetamol and pethidine represented the standard labor analgesics in 48.9% and 55.3% of all hospitals. Intravenous remifentanil was used in 10.6% of hospitals (50% in Athens versus 2.5% outside Athens, p=0.002). In 48.9% of hospitals, mainly outside Athens, the anesthesiologists did not get involved in labor analgesia.

Conclusion:

Regional anesthesia is the most common practice for cesareans in Greek public hospitals; however, the percentage of general anesthesia remains high. In addition, the use of labor epidural analgesia is limited in hospitals outside Athens.

Risk assessment of morbidly obese parturient in cesarean section delivery: A prospective, cohort, single-center study

BACKGROUND

Up to 40% of women gain excessive weight during pregnancy. Obesity complications and risks in parturient women undergoing cesarean section (CS) with different anesthetic methods remain unknown. This study aimed to assess the safety and risk of obese women undergoing CS delivery with various perioperative anesthetic methods.

METHODS

Seven hundred ninety parturient women underwent CS under general anesthesia (GA), intraspinal anesthesia including epidural anesthesia (EA) and combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSEA). They were divided into morbid (n = 255), severe (n = 274), and non-obesity (n = 261) groups. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (number NCT03002636).

RESULT

Between 2013 and 2016, 790 pregnant were assessed. Compared with the non-obesity group, there were significantly more fetal distress and higher body mass index (BMI) in the morbid obesity group (P = .0001 and P = .001, respectively). Significantly more patients showed preeclampsia, multifetation, amniotic fluid abnormality, and high bleeding amounts in the morbid obesity group compared with the non-obesity group (P = .0001, P = .048, P = .017, and P = .018, respectively); more patients were administered EA and GA compared with the non-obesity group (P = .0001 and P = .0001, respectively). More post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) patients were found in the severe obesity group no more than the non-obesity group. Significantly increased anesthesia puncture times for 5 > n ≥ 3 and n ≥ 5 were obtained in the morbid obesity group (P = .0001 and P = .0001, respectively), with more patients in the puncture sitting position, compared with the non-obesity group (P = .0001).

CONCLUSION

GA, EA, and CSEA are safe and effective in severely or morbidly obese patients. Morbidly obese parturient show increased likelihood for fetal distress, PACU, sitting position puncture, puncture difficulty, and other pregnancy complications. There were more anesthesia puncture times in morbidly obese patients.

Comparison of Patient Satisfaction Between General and Spinal Anaesthesia in Emergency Caesarean Deliveries

OBJECTIVE

Obstetric anaesthesia aims to deliver a healthy baby as well as render a comfortable operation for the mother. This study compared general and spinal anaesthesia in terms of the quality of recovery and patient satisfaction in women undergoing emergency caesarean deliveries.

METHODS

In total, 100 patients were enrolled in this prospective, single-blind, cross-sectional clinical study. Patients were divided into spinal (n=50) and general (n=50) anaesthesia groups. The recovery score, pain and satisfaction were evaluated by Quality of Recovery Score (QoR-40), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at 24 hours postoperatively.

RESULTS

The total QoR-40 scores were significantly higher and the total operation time was longer in the spinal anaesthesia group (median score: 194.5 vs. 179.0, p<0.001 and mean±SD: 69.0±13.3 vs. 62.7±13.4 minutes, p=0.02, respectively). There was no significant difference in VAS and NRS scores between the groups.

CONCLUSION

Both spinal anaesthesia and general anaesthesia have advantages and disadvantages in terms of emergency caesarean deliveries. Spinal anaesthesia speeds up the recovery time and enables the mother to return to normal life earlier, while general anaesthesia has a short initiation time and does not affect patient satisfaction.

Emergency cesarean section in an epidemic of the middle east respiratory syndrome: a case report

Only a few reports have been published on women with an infectious respiratory viral pathogen, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Coronavirus delivering a baby. A laboratory confirmed case of MERS was reported during a MERS outbreak in the Republic of Korea in a woman at gestational week 35 + 4. She recovered, and delivered a healthy baby by emergency cesarean section (C-sec). We present the clinical course and the emergency C-sec in a pregnant woman with MERS.