Maternal satisfaction after spinal anaesthesia for caesarean deliveries

To determine the level of satisfaction in terms of intra-operative pain and postoperative nausea, vomiting and backache among patients receiving spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section.

Cross-sectional survey.

Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the Combined Military Hospital, Bahawalpur, from August 2005 to June 2007.

A total of 246 pregnant patients undergoing caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia were surveyed. Postoperatively, a questionnaire was given to the patients to score their satisfaction on a four-point visual analogue scale regarding pain during surgery, Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV), and postoperative backache. The average of response to the questions in each of these three areas was taken as the Fundamental Area Score (FAS) and the average of all these individual area scores was taken as the Patient Satisfaction Score (PSS).

There was high satisfaction score for PONV (98.17%); but the satisfaction regarding intra-operative pain / discomfort and postoperative backache was low as shown by a decrease in satisfaction score in these areas (74.09% and 76.83%). Patient's overall level of satisfaction with spinal anaesthesia was 81.40%. Patients (53.66%) would opt for spinal anaesthesia in future, if required, 90 (36.59%) would not and 8 patients (9.8%) were not sure.

Most of the patients were satisfied with their experience with spinal anaesthesia although there was a higher frequency of postoperative backache.