Epidural compared with general anaesthesia for caesarean delivery in conscious women with eclampsia

Abstract

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.