A Single-center Retrospective Cohort Study on Cesarean Section under General Anesthesia

Abstract

Objective: Neuraxial block is the most common anesthesia method for cesarean section (CS). However, for some urgent and high-risk cesarean delivery, general anesthesia (GA) also plays a very important role. We aimed to find out the reasons of choosing GA for CS in our center and the factors that may be related to the maternal and fetal outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively selected parturients who had CS procedures under GA in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016. Clinical data (baseline maternal status, preoperative status, perioperative information, maternal and fetal outcomes) of parturients and neonates were collected and analyzed. We summarized the common reasons for applying general anesthesia, and compared the back-to-ICU ratio and hospital stay time between parturients with different maternal American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, gestational weeks and intraoperative blood loss, as well as the fetal one-minute Apgar score between different maternal ASA grade and gestational weeks. Results: There were 98 cases of CS under GA enrolled in the study. Among the maternal and fetal factors, pregnancy with internal or surgical diseases is the most common reason (59 cases, 60.2%) for choosing GA, followed by the placenta and fetal membrane abnormalities (38 cases, 38.8%) and the pregnancy-specific disorders (36 cases, 36.7%). ASA grade III-IV of parturients (χ2 = 44.3, P< 0.05), gestation period < 37 weeks (χ2 = 23.4, P< 0.05), and blood loss > 800 ml (χ2 = 5.5, P<0.05) were related to the higher postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) rate in parturients. ASA grade III-IV of parturients (t = -2.99, P<0.05), gestation period < 37 weeks (t = 2.47, P<0.05) were related to the longer hospital stay. ASA grade III-IV of parturients (t = 2.21, P = 0.01) and gestation period < 37 weeks (t = −3.21, P = 0.002) were related to the lower one-minute Apgar score of neonates. Conclusion: Pregnancy with internal or surgical diseases is the most common reason for choosing GA for CS. High ASA grade and short gestation period were the related factors of high postoperative ICU ratio for parturients and low one-minute Apgar score for neonates.