General anaesthesia versus epidural block for caesarean section in patient with pre-eclampsia

To protect mother and fetus from the stress of vaginal delivery, caesarean section is to be chosen in severe cases of pre-eclampsia. When general anaesthesia is used, attention must be paid to the increase in arterial pressure, pulmonary arterial pressure (PA) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCW), which occur during intubation, tracheal suction and extubation. In epidural block, on the other hand, hypotension is a common phenomenon if the hypovolaemia is not corrected before the anaesthesia. It is important for the anaesthesiologist to see these women early to be able to treat the hypovolaemia and hypertension prior to caesarean section.