Gastric emptying of carbohydrate drinks in term parturients before elective caesarean delivery: an observational study

BackgroundPre-operative carbohydrate (CHO) drinks have shown some benefits peri-operatively and have been incorporated into many Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) programmes. We assessed the gastric emptying of pre-operative CHO drinks prior to elective caesarean delivery using ultrasonography.MethodsAfter a standard overnight fast, non-labouring pregnant women awaiting elective caesarean delivery underwent a standardised gastric ultrasound assessment at baseline and then every 20 min for 2 h after consuming 400 mL of a CHO drink. The gastric emptying was determined at each time-point both qualitatively and quantitatively. The primary outcome was the time taken for participants to return to a qualitative fasted Perlas grade of 0 or 1.ResultsThe gastric emptying of 40 participants was analysed. At baseline, all patients had a qualitative grade of either 0 or 1. All patients had returned to either grade 0 or 1 by 100 min. At 120 min the antral right lateral decubitus (RLD) cross-sectional area (CSA) was 8.03 cm² (95th percentile; 95% CI 7.4 to 8.3 cm²) and gastric volume per kg was 1.57 mL/kg (95th percentile; 95% CI 1.4 to 2.2). At 120 min there was no statistically significant difference from baseline for the RLD CSA (P=0.38) or gastric volume per kg (P=0.27).ConclusionsThe gastric emptying of this cohort of pregnant women suggests that 400 mL of a CHO drink can be safely consumed up to two hours before elective surgery. This study can help inform future peri-operative fasting guidelines for pregnant patients.     

东莨菪碱-曲马多-芬太尼复合液用于剖宫产术后镇痛

目的观察静脉东莨菪碱配伍曲马多与芬太尼在剖宫产术后镇痛的临床效果及不良反应。方法ASAⅠ~Ⅱ级行剖宫产术病人60例,随机分为东莨菪碱组(S组)和氟哌利多组(D组),每组30例。S组,东莨菪碱0·3mg 曲马多500mg 芬太尼0·5mg;D组,氟哌利多2·5mg 曲马多500mg 芬太尼0·5mg。均以生理盐水配置100ml药袋,静脉给予负荷剂量4ml后连接镇痛泵进行病人自控镇痛(PCA)。术后24、48h行视觉模拟评分(VAS)和镇静评分,并对用药总量、PCA量及不良反应发生情况进行观察比较。结果两组VAS差异无显著意义。D组术后24h用药总量、PCA量和镇静评分均大于术后48h,D组术后24h镇静评分比S组高(P<0·05),不良反应发生率D组明显高于S组。结论东莨菪碱配伍曲马多及芬太尼应用于剖宫产术后镇痛安全有效,不良反应发生率明显低于氟哌利多。     

曲马多在剖宫产术中预防寒战的效果比较

目的观察曲马多、氟哌利多在剖宫产手术中预防寒战的效果。方法选择60例A SAⅠ、Ⅱ级剖宫产孕妇,无其它并发症,随机分为3组:曲马多组、氟哌利多组、生理盐水组。胎儿取出后从静脉分别注入曲马多1.0~1.50m g/kg,氟哌利多0.05m l/kg,生理盐水2m l,观察预防寒战的效果。结果寒战发生率及程度为:曲马多组:1级1例,2级1例,占10.0%;氟哌利多组:1级3例,2级3例,3级1例,占35.0%;生理盐水组:1级3例,2级2例,3级3例,占40.0%。后两组与曲马多组比较,差异有统计学意义(P=0.026)。讨论剖宫产手术患者术中应用曲马多能有效减少寒战的发生率,减轻患者的不舒适性,氟哌利多作用不明显。     

Study of drug control over postoperative hemorrhage after selective caesarean section

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of carbetocin and oxytocin in the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage after selective caesarean section. Methods: Two hundred and sixteen pregnant women who were going to deliver by caesarean section were randomly divided into two paralleled and controlled groups, of which the oxytocin group(group A) contained 105 women and the carbetocin group(group B) 111 women. 20 IU of oxytocin was administrated during operation for both groups, 10 IU directly into uterus and 10 IU intravenously. When the operation was over, 20 IU of oxytocin was dripped for group A lasting for 8 hours, while for group B 100μg of carbetocin was immediately injected intravenously for 1 minute. Blood loss as well as hemoglobin alteration was measured for the comparison of the effect of the two drugs. Blood biochemical indicators were introduced for the evaluation of the safety of carbetocin including the function of liver and kidney and the fasting glucose.Results: No significant difference was revealed between the two groups concerning the postpartum hemorrhage within 24 hours, the postpartum hemorrhage incidence and the changes of hemoglobin. There was no significant difference in the change of liver and kidney function, fasting glucose and electrolyte changes as well.Conclusions: Carbetocin has a similar effect and safety of oxytocin in controlling the blood loss of selective caesarean section.     

Risk factors for Caesarean section in Italy: results of amulticentre study

A recent large increase in Caesarean section (CS) in Italy was the initial stimulus for a study to identify risk factors for CS and, if possible, to suggest strategies to counteract the rise. The study was conducted in three hospitals where a wide range of individual variables was collected from the clinical records and from personal interviews. Crude CS rates and odds ratios were evaluated for each single variable while logistic regression has been used to investigate possible confounding factors. The study involved 1316 consecutive deliveries. Crude CS rates were 29.4%, 15.7% and 16.1%. Variables identified as high risk factors were pre-eclampsia, previous CS, breech and other non-vertex presentations. Antenatal care under an obstetrician working in the same hospital, a low number of antenatal consultations, previous miscarriages, offer (by obstetrician) and request (by women) for CS showed significantly high odds ratios (ORs). Previous live births was strongly negatively associated with CS. No relationship between type of delivery and social status was observed while a physician factor was detected in all three hospitals where rates for different physicians ranged from 0% to 52.8%. Apart from the main medical indications for Caesarean section (previous CS, breech presentation), the results seem to indicate that individual practice style may be an important determinant of the wide variation in the rates of Caesarean delivery. While this may have been suspected before this study, these results are the first hard data to indicate that, in Italy, CS is widely performed for non-medical reasons.     

Decreased incidence of headache after accidental dural puncture in caesarean delivery patients receiving continuous postoperative intrathecal analgesia

To examine the effects of prolonged (> 24 h) intrathecal catheterization with the use of postoperative analgesia on the incidence of post–dural puncture headache (PDPH), charts of 45 obstetric patients who had accidental dural puncture following attempts at epidural block were reviewed retrospectively. Three groups were identified: Group I (n = 15) patients had a dural puncture on the first attempt at epidural block, but successful epidural block on a repeated attempt; Group II (n=17) patients had a dural puncture with immediate conversion to continuous spinal anaesthesia with catheterization lasting only for the duration of caesarean delivery; Group III (n= 13) patients had an immediate conversion to spinal anaesthesia and received post–caesarean section continuous intrathecal patient–controlled analgesia consisting of fentanyl 5 (ig'ml^-1 with bupivacaine 0.25 mg·ml^-1 and epinephrine 2 μg·ml^-1 with catheterization lasting >24 h. No parturient in group III developed a PDPH. This was substantially lower ( P < 0.009) than the 33% incidence for group I and the 47% incidence for group II. The incidence of a PDPH did not differ between group I and II. Similarly, there was no difference between group I and II with regard to requests for a blood patch. Patients receiving continuous intrathecal analgesia had excellent pain relief, could easily ambulate and none complained of pruritus, nausea, vomiting, sensory loss or weakness. In conclusion, indwelling spinal catheterization > 24 h with continuous intrathecal analgesia following accidental dural puncture in parturients may for some patients be a suitable method for providing PDPH prophylaxis and postoperative analgesia.     

Caesarean scar pregnancy

Caesarean scar pregnancy is one of the rarest forms of ectopic pregnancy. Little is known about its incidence and natural history. With increasing incidence of caesarean section worldwide, more and more cases are diagnosed and reported. Transvaginal ultrasound and colour flow Doppler provides a high diagnostic accuracy with very few false positives. A delay in diagnosis and/or treatment can lead to uterine rupture, major haemorrhage, hysterectomy and serious maternal morbidity. Early diagnosis can offer treatment options of avoiding uterine rupture and haemorrhage, thus preserving the uterus and future fertility. Management plan should be individually tailored. Available data suggest that termination of pregnancy is the treatment of choice in the first trimester soon after the diagnosis. Expectant treatment has a poor prognosis because of risk of rupture. There are no reliable scientific data on the risk of recurrence of the condition in future pregnancy, role of the interval between the previous caesarean delivery and occurrence of caesarean scar pregnancy, and effect of caesarean wound closure technique on caesarean scar pregnancy. In this article, we aim to find the demography, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, most appropriate methods of diagnosis and management, with their implications in clinical practice for this condition.     

Decision making about mode of delivery among pregnant women who have previously had a caesarean section: A qualitative study

Objective  To explore prospectively women's decision making regarding mode of delivery after a previous caesarean section.
Main outcome measures  The evolution of decision making, women's participation in decision making, and factors affecting decision making.
Design and methods  A qualitative study using diaries, observations and semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed thematically from both a longitudinal and a cross-sectional perspective.
Setting  An antenatal unit in a large teaching hospital in Scotland and participants' homes.
Sample  Twenty-six women who had previously had a caesarean section for a nonrecurrent cause.
Results  Women were influenced by their own previous experiences and expectations, and the final decision on mode of delivery often developed during the course of the pregnancy. Most acknowledged that any decision was provisional and might change if circumstances necessitated. Despite a universal desire to be involved in the process, many women did not participate actively and were uncomfortable with having responsibility for decision making. Feelings about the amount and quality of the information received regarding delivery options varied greatly, with many women wishing for information to be tailored to their individual clinical circumstances and needs. In contrast to the impression created in the media, there was no evidence of clear preferences or strong demands for elective caesarean section.
Conclusion  Women who have had a previous caesarean section do not usually have firm ideas about mode of delivery. They look for targeted information and guidance from medical personnel based on their individual circumstances, and some are unhappy with the responsibility of deciding how to deliver in the current pregnancy.