Anaesthesia for Caesarean Delivery
摘要
A cesarean section or C-section is performed to deliver a baby via an incision made in the abdomen. The goals of anesthesia should include comfort and safety of the parturient, and the well-being of the fetus. Earlier caesarean deliveries were performed under general anaesthesia. The anatomical and physiological changes of pregnancy increase the risk of a difficult airway and aspiration risk but RA techniques allows these potential adverse events to be avoided. The ability to remain awake throughout delivery improves maternal satisfaction and neonatal bonding. Accordingly, regional anesthesia is now the preferred technique for caesarean section. However, there are certain contraindications to regional anesthesia including maternal refusal, local infection, systemic sepsis, coagulopathy or recent anti-coagulant therapy, allergy to local anesthetic, and raised intracranial pressure. The required upper level of dermatomal block is T4 to T5 before starting surgery. We discuss various regional anesthesia options for caesarean delivery in this chapter.