Anesthesia-related Adverse Events in Obstetric Patients: A Population-based Study in Canada

Abstract

(Can J Anaesth. 2022;69:72–85) Anesthesia-related morbidity, while rare, is a useful indicator for obstetric care quality and patient safety during childbirth. Previous studies—including those correlating anesthesia complications with cardiac arrest, pre-existing conditions, living in rural areas, neuraxial block, respiratory arrest, and unrecognized spinal catheterization—focused on specific neuraxial anesthesia or specific complications instead of analyzing multiple complications within a large population. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of anesthesia complications as well as the association of anesthesia-related adverse events and medical or obstetric conditions.