title: General anaesthesia or lumbar epidural block for caesarean section? Effects on the foetal heart rate.
abstract: Caesarean section was performed in 10 patients under general anaesthesia and in 10 other patients under epidural block. The foetal heart rate was monitored continuously during anaesthesia and operation with a scalp electrode and a cardiotocograph. There was no major difference between the two anaesthetic techniques in their effect on the foetal heart rate. The most common finding was a reduction of the beat-to-beat variation. The operative time was longer in the epidural group than in the general anaesthesia group, due to a higher frequency of Pfannenstiel incisions and repeat caesarean sections in the epidural group. Clinically, all newborns seemed to be unaffected, with normal Apgar scores. Epidural block seems to be a good alternative to general anaesthesia for caesarean section, particularly when a long operative time is expected.
mesh_terms: D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D000773:Anesthesia, Obstetrical; D001034:Apgar Score; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007746:Labor Presentation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First