To Evaluate the Maternal and Foetal Outcome in Parturients Undergoing Caesarean Section for Pre-Eclampsia Under Spinal and General Anaesthesia: A Randomised Prospective Study

Pre-eclampsia has always been a challenge to the anaesthesiologist, in terms of choosing which type of anaesthesia to prefer. This present study was done to evaluate the maternal and foetal outcome in patients of caesarean section for pre-eclampsia under spinal and general anaesthesia.

This prospective study was conducted in 60 parturients, ASA 1 and 2 who underwent caesarean section for pre-eclampsia. These parturients were randomly and divided into two groups, Group S receiving spinal anesthesia and Group G receiving general anesthesia. For maternal outcome, the parturients were monitored for Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Oxygen Saturation. Post-operative ICU admissions, convulsions, and pulmonary edema chances were seen. For fetal outcome, APGAR score was noted at 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth of child.

The systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate were comparable in both the groups in the pre-operative period and at induction. However, intraoperatively, these parameters were significantly lower in the spinal anaesthesia group as compared to general anesthesia group (p<0.05). The Apgar Score was also found to be significantly higher in the newborns in spinal anaesthesia group as compared to general anaesthesia group. Post-operatively, more number of ICU admissions were seen in general anaesthesia group as compared to spinal anaesthesia group (p<0.05).

Spinal Anaesthesia can be considered as a first choice of anaesthesia in parturients undergoing caesarean section for preeclampsia with better hemodynamic control in intra-operative period and lesser chances of post-operative morbidity and mortality.