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Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 28, 158-166, Copyright © 1981 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

Obstetrical Anaesthesia Practice in the University of Toronto Affiliated Hospitals and Some Randomly Selected Community Hospitals

ERNEST M. HEW M.D., F.R.C.P.(C), F.F.A.R.C.S.(I)1, STEPHEN H. ROLBIN M.D.C.M., F.R.C.P.(C)1, A.F. D. COLE M.D., F.R.C.P.(C)1, and SUSAN VIRGINT R.R.T.1

1 Department of Anaesthesia, Mount Sinai Hospital and University of Toronto

Address reprint requests to Dr. S. Rolbin, Department of Anaesthesia, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5.

A questionnaire was designed to determine the type of personnel that provide obstetrical anaesthesia care and the techniques used in the provision of this care.

All seven hospitals with an obstetrical unit affiliated with the University of Toronto and seven community hospitals responded.

All anaesthetics were given by physicians. Ninety-two per cent of those in University affiliated hospitals and 63 per cent of those in the community hospitals had obtained their specialty qualification.

Standards for preoperative assessment and communication with the patients should be similar to those applied to patients receiving anaesthesia for other reasons. It was clear from our survey that pre-anaesthetic assessment of obstetrical patients differs from that advocated for other surgical patients.

For vaginal deliveries, epidural analgesia was clearly the preferred choice. Subarachnoid block was rarely used. The majority of anaesthetists did not use a test dose. Eleven per cent in University-affiliated hospitals and 50 per cent in community hospitals sometimes conducted surgical anaesthesia without tracheal intubation for vaginal delivery. More than 60 per cent routinely encouraged their patients to accept general anaesthesia for Caesarean section. The doctors providing neonatal resuscitation may require further training.

Surveys such as this are important if standards of anaesthetic practice are to be established.

Key Words: ANAESTHESIA: obstetrical • pattern of practice






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Copyright © 1981 by the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.