Neurologic Complications in the Patient Receiving Obstetric Anesthesia

Postpartum lumbosacral radiculopathy: a neuraxial anaesthesia complication or an intrinsic obstetric palsy?

Postpartum peripheral nerve disorders are an uncommon obstetrical complication, with most cases resulting from intrinsic obstetric palsies. We present the case of a full-term nulliparous pregnant 33-year-old woman with a vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery due to a prolonged second stage of labour and occipitoposterior position of the fetal head. For analgesia, a combined spinal-epidural technique was used. Four hours after delivery, the patient experienced a painless asymmetric motor deficit and hypoesthesia in the lower limbs, followed by sphincter disturbance. Emergent MRI was unremarkable. Electromyography showed signs of a bilateral lumbosacral radiculopathy. The patient experienced a gradual recovery over the following 2 months. Although a definitive aetiological diagnosis could not be confirmed, a lumbosacral polyradiculopathy due to intrinsic obstetric complication was considered. The patient presented several risk factors known to be associated with intrinsic obstetric palsies. Obstetricians and anaesthesiologists have an important role in preventing and diagnosing postpartum peripheral nerve disorders.

Obstetric anaesthesia: what a neurologist needs to know

Neurologists are often consulted to see women postpartum who are having difficulties involving the lower extremities; weakness, numbness and pain. Many of these women have received labour analgesia. Often, there is limited understanding by the neurologist of how these procedures are performed, why a neuraxial technique is chosen and their potential complications. This case-based review will explain the differences in the neuraxial procedures: epidural, spinal and combined spinal epidural; their advantages and disadvantages, why one technique might be chosen over another, contraindications as well as procedural risks.

Risk assessment of morbidly obese parturient in cesarean section delivery: A prospective, cohort, single-center study

BACKGROUND

Up to 40% of women gain excessive weight during pregnancy. Obesity complications and risks in parturient women undergoing cesarean section (CS) with different anesthetic methods remain unknown. This study aimed to assess the safety and risk of obese women undergoing CS delivery with various perioperative anesthetic methods.

METHODS

Seven hundred ninety parturient women underwent CS under general anesthesia (GA), intraspinal anesthesia including epidural anesthesia (EA) and combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSEA). They were divided into morbid (n = 255), severe (n = 274), and non-obesity (n = 261) groups. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (number NCT03002636).

RESULT

Between 2013 and 2016, 790 pregnant were assessed. Compared with the non-obesity group, there were significantly more fetal distress and higher body mass index (BMI) in the morbid obesity group (P = .0001 and P = .001, respectively). Significantly more patients showed preeclampsia, multifetation, amniotic fluid abnormality, and high bleeding amounts in the morbid obesity group compared with the non-obesity group (P = .0001, P = .048, P = .017, and P = .018, respectively); more patients were administered EA and GA compared with the non-obesity group (P = .0001 and P = .0001, respectively). More post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) patients were found in the severe obesity group no more than the non-obesity group. Significantly increased anesthesia puncture times for 5 > n ≥ 3 and n ≥ 5 were obtained in the morbid obesity group (P = .0001 and P = .0001, respectively), with more patients in the puncture sitting position, compared with the non-obesity group (P = .0001).

CONCLUSION

GA, EA, and CSEA are safe and effective in severely or morbidly obese patients. Morbidly obese parturient show increased likelihood for fetal distress, PACU, sitting position puncture, puncture difficulty, and other pregnancy complications. There were more anesthesia puncture times in morbidly obese patients.

Neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version: Cost analysis

AIM

Neuraxial blockade (epidural or spinal anesthesia/analgesia) with external cephalic version increases the external cephalic version success rate. Hospitals and insurers may affect access to neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version, but the costs to these institutions remain largely unstudied. The objective of this study was to perform a cost analysis of neuraxial blockade use during external cephalic version from hospital and insurance payer perspectives. Secondarily, we estimated the effect of neuraxial blockade on cesarean delivery rates.

METHODS

A decision-analysis model was developed using costs and probabilities occurring prenatally through the delivery hospital admission. Model inputs were derived from the literature, national databases, and local supply costs. Univariate and bivariate sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to assess model robustness.

RESULTS

Neuraxial blockade was cost saving to both hospitals ($30 per delivery) and insurers ($539 per delivery) using baseline estimates. From both perspectives, however, the model was sensitive to multiple variables. Monte Carlo simulation indicated neuraxial blockade to be more costly in approximately 50% of scenarios. The model demonstrated that routine use of neuraxial blockade during external cephalic version, compared to no neuraxial blockade, prevented 17 cesarean deliveries for every 100 external cephalic versions attempted.

CONCLUSIONS

Neuraxial blockade is associated with minimal hospital and insurer cost changes in the setting of external cephalic version, while reducing the cesarean delivery rate.

Persistent paralysis after spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery

Anterior spinal artery syndrome has rarely been reported as a cause of permanent neurologic complications after neuraxial anesthesia in obstetric patients. A parturient developed anterior spinal artery syndrome after spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. A healthy 32-year-old parturient presented at 41(2/7) weeks for primary elective caesarean delivery for breech presentation. Spinal anesthesia was easily performed with clear cerebrospinal fluid, and block height was T4 at 5 minutes. Intraoperative course was uneventful except for symptomatic bradycardia (37-40 beats per minute) and hypotension (88/44 mm Hg) 4 minutes postspinal anesthesia, treated with ephedrine and atropine. Dense motor block persisted 9 hours after spinal anesthesia, and magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbosacral region was normal, finding no spinal cord compression or lesion. Physical examination revealed deficits consistent with a spinal cord lesion at T6, impacting the anterior spinal cord while sparing the posterior tracts.