[Anesthesia in gynecology and obstetrics: a national epidemiologic study]

A sample of 33,508 anaesthetics taken from a national enquiry between the years 1978 and 1982 and representative of the overall activity in this field in France made it possible to look at anaesthesia in gynaecology and obstetrics in France. This study has made it possible to estimate that the annual number of anaesthetics that are given in this filed in France come to about 600,000 of which 22% are in obstetrics. The means that 2.2% of all women have an anaesthetic for these reasons. The most common operations are induced abortion and curettage of the uterus. Epidural anaesthesia was used in 12% of obstetric manoeuvres and 0.8% of gynaecological procedures. 70% of the women who were anaesthetised were aged between 20 and 40 and 64% had already had an anaesthetic in the past. 91% were in satisfactory health before the operation. One in 4 interventions were emergencies. University departments performed 21% of the cases, non-university hospitals 34% and private clinics 45%. In 30% of the cases, the anaesthetic was given by a nurse or a midwife. The risks of major complications while under anaesthetic or in the 24 hours after the operation were higher in obstetrical manoeuvres (2.4 p. 1,000) than in gynaecological procedures (1.1 p. 1,000). 78% of the complications in gynaecology could be attributed to anaesthesia as compared with 44% in obstetrics.