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Epidural compared with general anaesthesia for caesarean delivery in conscious women with eclampsia
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of Natal, Congella, South Africa.
Objective:
To compare retrospectively the outcome of caesarean section under epidural anaesthesia with that of general anaesthesia in "stable" women with eclampsia.
Design:
Retrospective review.
Method:
Over the five-year study period, there were 533 women with eclampsia and of these 66 women (12.4%), fulfilled the criteria of being 'stable'. Of the 66 women, 37 received epidural, 27 general, and 2 spinal anaesthesia.
Results:
There were no major complications with either general or epidural anaesthesia. Epidural anaesthesia was associated with higher one-minute Apgar scores.
Conclusion:
This study indicates that both maternal and neonatal outcomes are not affected adversely by the use of epidural anaesthesia in selected cases of eclampsia.