Anaesthesia preference, neuraxial vs general, and outcome after caesarean section.
We investigated parturients' preference for neuraxial vs general anaesthesia, while they have experienced both techniques in the past. A total of 102 parturients who underwent elective caesarean section under general or neuraxial anaesthesia at different times completed a questionnaire comparing the two techniques. According to our results, 98% vs 51% (p < 0.001) of the women saw the baby and 51% vs 29% (p = 0.003) ambulated in the neuraxial and general anaesthesia groups, respectively, within the first 24 h postoperatively. Neuraxial anaesthesia was associated with less pain assessed by the Verbal Analogue Scale (VAS) (54 ± 21 vs 72 ± 20 p < 0.001), fewer days of hospital stay (4 ± 0.5 vs 5 ± 1.5, p = 0.001) and higher satisfaction scores (77 ± 18 vs 52 ± 24, p = 0.001) vs general anaesthesia. Finally, 80% of the women would choose neuraxial anaesthesia for a future caesarean section.
Department of Anaesthesiology, Aretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, Greece. fassoula@aretaieio.uoa.gr
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A
Fassoulaki
C
C
Staikou
A
A
Melemeni
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G
Kottis
G
G
Petropoulos
D000765:Anesthesia, Conduction / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D002585:Cesarean Section; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy