The impact of general anesthesia versus neuraxial anesthesia on obstetric outcomes of elective cesarean sections

Objective. To determine which type of anesthesia, general or spinal, causes less amount of blood loss in elective cesarean section. Patients and methods. An observational randomized controlled study including 300 women was conducted at the Al-Zahraa University Maternity Hospital. Two patient groups were identified: group G (general anesthesia) (n = 150) and group S (spinal anesthesia) (n = 150). All patients underwent elective cesarean section with identical operative steps by the same surgeon. Anesthesia, general or spinal, was standard. Data were collected, including age, parity, pre- and postoperative heart rate and blood pressure, pre- and postoperative complete blood count (on day 3), type of anesthesia, duration of surgery, complications (atonic postpartum hemorrhage, uterine extension), postoperative urinary output, need for blood transfusion, fainting and headache attacks, time to breastfeeding, ambulation, and passing flatus. Data on postoperative analgesia were also obtained, including time to first analgesic request and number of doses taken. The amount of intraoperative blood loss was estimated using the acute normovolemic hemodilution technique. Results. When using changes in hemoglobin levels to estimate blood loss, group S showed statistically significantly less blood loss than group G, with a mean difference of 103.7 mL (p < 0.05). When using hematocrit levels, group S showed statistically significantly less blood loss than group G, with a mean difference of 114 mL (p < 0.05). Headache attacks were more frequent in group S (78) than in group G (19) (p < 0.05). Group S started breastfeeding 5 hours earlier than group G (p < 0.05). Group S started postoperative ambulation 4 hours earlier than group G (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between both groups regarding time to first analgesic request, heart rate, blood pressure, urinary output, and fainting attacks in the postoperative period. Conclusion. Spinal anesthesia has certain advantages over general anesthesia: higher postoperative hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, less intraoperative blood loss, less postoperative pain, less need for analgesia, earlier ambulation, and earlier initiation of breastfeeding. Key words: spinal anesthesia, general anesthesia, cesarean section