Objective
To investigate risk factors predicting unplanned conversion to general anesthesia during elective cesarean section and to examine maternal and fetal outcomes associated with unplanned conversion compared to other modes of anesthesia.
Study Design
A retrospective cohort at a UK center (2008-2013). 4337 women underwent elective cesarean section. Delivery outcomes were compared according to anesthesia type using logistic regression.
Results
1.6% of women underwent unplanned conversion to general anesthetic. Unplanned conversion was associated with higher parity (OR 3.82, CI (1.58-9.62)) and maternal age ≥40 (OR 4.40, CI(1.08-29.88)). Compared to spinal anesthetic, unplanned conversion was associated with increased likelihood of maternal hemorrhage ≥1.5 litres (OR 5.74, CI (1.90-14.01)) and delayed neonatal respiration (OR 4.76, CI (1.76-11.05)). Adverse outcomes were not significantly more likely compared to planned general anesthetic.
Conclusions
Higher parity and maternal age are risk factors for unplanned conversion to general anesthetic. There is no increase in the likelihood of adverse outcomes with unplanned versus planned general anesthetic.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.