title: Neuraxial block versus general anaesthesia for cesarean section: post-operative pain scores and analgesic requirements.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the suitability of spinal and general anaesthesia for cesarean section.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prospective, double-blinded study, done between March and December 2009, at Central Education and Research Hospital, Erzurum, Turkey, involved 60 patients undergoing elective cesarean surgery. They were grouped according to the kind of anaesthesia, with each group having 30 patients each. Postoperative pain scores, opioid requirement, side effects and patient satisfaction were compared through statistical analysis using SPSS version 10.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patient demographics were similar in both groups. Patients in the general anaesthesia group consumed 638.4 +/- 179.10 microg fentanyl, while patients in the spinal anaesthesia group consumed 356.3 +/- 87.1 microg. The number of patients requiring opioid via Patient Controlled Analgesia in the first 24 hours was significantly higher in the general anaesthesia group. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the spinal anaesthesia group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Type of anaesthesia for elective cesarean section is important to provide sufficient post-operative analgesia and patient satisfaction.
authors: Department of Anaesthesiology, Medical School of Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey. aytentolgasaracoglu@mynet.com
authors: Kemal Tolga
authors: KT
authors: Saracoglu
authors: Ayten
authors: A
authors: Saracoglu
authors: Tumay
authors: T
authors: Umuroglu
authors: Zeynep
authors: Z
authors: Eti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000379:methods*; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal / Q000379:methods*; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002585:Cesarean Section; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D005283:Fentanyl