Spinal Anesthesia for Lower Segment Cesarean Section in Patients With Stable Eclampsia

Abstract

Abstract Study Objective To report the use of spinal anesthesia in eclamptic patients. Design Prospective case series. Setting Emergency operating room of a metropolitan hospital. Patients 12 stable eclamptic parturients. Interventions Subarachnoid block was instituted with hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine 1.7 mL with fentanyl 25 μg. Measurements Intraoperative maternal hypotension, episodes of convulsion, the need to convert to general anesthesia, and Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes were recorded. Main Results Only one of the 12 parturients had an episode of hypotension (treated by intravenous ephedrine), while no patient had a convulsion over the 48 hours after delivery. The sensory level achieved was T 5 -T 6 and none of the cases was converted to general anesthesia. Median Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes were 8 and 9, respectively. Conclusion Spinal anesthesia avoided the known risks of general anesthesia and was not associated with any major complications.