[Prevention and treatment of hypotension during Caesarean delivery]

Regional anesthesia for Caesarean delivery is often accompanied by a reduction in maternal blood pressure. Maternal hypotension may lead to a reduction in uteroplacental blood flow with consecutive fetal acidosis. In order to avoid reductions in uteroplacental blood flow, tremendous research has been performed, showing that the avoidance of aortocaval compression, compression of the lower extremities, and prehydration with colloids are effective in reducing maternal hypotension. Further means include the recent introduction of low dose spinal anesthesia with a combination of small amounts of local anesthetics and opioids. Nevertheless, maternal hypotension is not always preventable and the use of vasopressors is still frequently required. Although ephedrine has been considered the vasopressor of choice over the last decades, current studies show that fetal acidosis is less frequently encountered with the use of phenylephrine, which should thus be considered as a first-line agent.