Comparative Study of General Anesthesia and Regional Anesthesia in Obstetrics

Anaesthesia plays a major role in medical emergencies. In obstetric emergencies, general anaesthesia is preferred where rapid anesthesia is needed. Regional anaesthesia includes techniques like epidural, spinal, or combined spinal-epidural anesthesia and they produce loss of sensation without altering consciousness. The combined spinal-epidural improves epidural anesthesia quality during labor. Maternal mortality is a great concern worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, in the year 2020, 95% of maternal deaths occurred in low and lower-middle-income countries. Maternal mortality concern aims to reduce mortality rates. To reduce complication mentioned above, a primary literature survey of 34+ articles/papers has been performed to compare the implications of obstetrical anaesthesia, different anesthesia types and anaesthetic management. A comparative study based on the effective parameters like anesthetic management, Apgar score, maternal/neonatal outcome, maternal complication, maternal mortality, obstetric emergencies, and anesthetic preference has performed to assess the effect of general anaesthesia on maternal and neonatal outcomes, patient's safety, factors that affect anaesthetic management, identification and management of post-spinal hypotension in cesarean section, rapid assessment and management of obstetric and risk of failed intubation. The main contribution of the work is to summarize the outcomes to come up with significant observations which reveal that regional anaesthesia is a comparatively safe and common method of anaesthesia in non-emergent cases. The study also observed that the amalgamation of general anaesthesia with ‘rapid-Sequence induction and intubation’, and aspiration prophylaxis is the safest method of emergency management in cesarean section. The paper concludes that in non-emergent obstetric cases, regional anaesthesia is preferred over general anaesthesia, whereas the general anaesthesia is best option for emergent cases.