More mothers die from spinal anesthesia
The number of US women who die from the complications of regional anesthesia during child labor has increased considerably since the mid 1990s, a new study says.
While most of the cesarean sections are now performed under regional anesthesia - a technique which blocks the sensation of the lower part of the body, allowing physicians to keep the expectant mother awake during delivery, emergency procedures often require general anesthesia.
The mortality rate following general anesthesia has reduced since the 1990s, whereas those due to regional anesthesia-related complications has grown from 2.5 deaths for every million c-sections between 1991 and 1996 to 3.8 per million between 1997 and 2002, reported the study published in the Obstetrics & Gynecology.
While regional anesthesia, including epidurals and spinal blocks, is considered as a very safe method, patients may show severe allergic reactions, or even life threatening breathing or heart complications to the anesthetic or the medication in rare cases.
Despite the low number of regional anesthesia-related deaths during childbirth, the new study shows that the procedure can be made safer, said Joy L. Hawkins, the leading author from the University of Colorado.
Referring to chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes which can make women more vulnerable to childbirth complications, Hawkins urged to be mothers to get good prenatal care and keep controlling their medical conditions during pregnancy.
She also asked anesthesiologists to gather sufficient information about the health condition of their patients and the medications they have been taking before the operation.
Source: presstv.ir
