Comparison of maternal satisfaction following epidural and general anaesthesia for repeat Caesarean sec

Abstract

Objective:To assess maternal satisfaction following two anaesthetic techniques (generaland epidural anaesthesia) for repeat Caesarean section.

Design: Prospective study.Setting: University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.Subjects: One hundred and twenty parturients scheduled for elective Caesareansection.

Results: The demographic data and mean satisfaction scores obtained from questionnaireand visual analogue scale (VAS) were subjected to analysis using the Student’s t-testwith the computerised statistical calculator SPSS Windows 10.0. The mean satisfactionscore of the parturients in the epidural anaesthesia population using the questionnairewas 149.0±10.65 while that in the general anaesthesia population was 105.3±12.42.The mean satisfaction score from the VAS was 9.0±1.50 for those who had epiduralanaesthesia while it was 2.6±0.70 in the general anaesthesia population. The differencesin the mean satisfaction scores from both instruments of measurement were statisticallysignificant at P<0.05. Ninety eight patients (89.09%) of the total study populationwho completed the study, desired to have a repeat Caesarean section under epiduralanaesthesia while 12 patients representing 10.91% still desired further surgery undergeneral anaesthesia.

Conclusion: It is concluded that patients are more satisfied with Caesarean sectiondone under epidural anaesthesia.