Table 4.
Spinal anaesthesia–characteristics of elective and emergency caesarean sections
| Czech Republic | Slovakia | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elective CS | Emergency CS | Elective CS | Emergency CS | |
| N = 537 | N = 352 | N = 251 | N = 188 | |
| Position for spinal puncture | ||||
| Lateral | 20.1% | 23.3% | 2.8% | 2.1% |
| Sitting | 76.4% | 72.2% | 90.4% | 91.5% |
| Height of the blockade application | ||||
| L1/L2 | 1.1% | 1.4% | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| L2/L3 | 25.7% | 17.3% | 18.7% | 19.7% |
| L3/L4 | 62.8% | 69.9% | 74.1% | 70.2% |
| L4/L5 | 10.2% | 11.4% | 6.4% | 9.0% |
| L5/S1 | 0.2% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Needle | ||||
| 25 G | 18.2% | 20.0% | 43.6% | 38.7% |
| 26 G | 48.9% | 45.1% | 27.8% | 23.7% |
| 27 G | 32.9% | 34.9% | 28.6% | 37.6% |
| Introducer used | 89.8% | 88.9% | 89.6% | 86.7% |
| Needle tip | ||||
| Quincke | 25.6% | 33.7% | 47.2% | 53.4% |
| Pencil point | 48.6% | 53.0% | 38.7% | 36.2% |
| Atraucan | 24.2% | 12.1% | 14.0% | 10.3% |
| Other | 1.6% | 1.2% | 0 | 0 |
| Spinal mixture | ||||
| Bupivacaine 0.5% | 88.3% | 84.4% | 94.8% | 91.0% |
| – dose (ml) | 2.60 [2.40–2.80] | 2.60 [2.50–2.80] | 2.50 [2.20–2.60] | 2.50 [2.20–2.70] |
| Levobupivacaine 0.5% | 10.8% | 15.1% | 4.4% | 10.1% |
| – dose (ml) | 2.80 [2.50–3.00] | 2.80 [2.60–3.00] | 2.70 [2.50–2.95] | 3.00 [2.50–3.00] |
| Other/unspecified | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.8% | |
| Adjuvants (intrathecal) | ||||
| Morphine | 24.4% | 24.4% | 0 | 0 |
| Fentanyl | 0 | 0 | 2.0% | 3.7% |
| Alpha-agonist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adrenaline | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bicarbonate | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Position after puncture | ||||
| Back | 52.4% | 57.7% | 60.4% | 58.2% |
| Left tilt | 46.5% | 39.5% | 38.7% | 40.3% |
| Insufficiency of anaesthesia | ||||
| Pain | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 1.6% |
| Restlessness | 2.8% | 4.8% | 0.8% | 0.5% |
| Discomfort | 6.0% | 5.4% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Systemic adjuvants for insufficient block | ||||
| Propofol | 16.7% | 3.7% | 40.0% | 60.0% |
| Thiopental | 1.9% | 1.9% | 0 | 0 |
| Midazolam | 35.2% | 47.5% | 60.0% | 20.0% |
| Diazepam | 22.2% | 25.0% | 0 | 0 |
| Nitrous oxide | 1.9% | 0 | 0 | 20.0% |
| Sevoflurane | 3.7% | 0 | 20.0% | 20.0% |
| Sufentanil | 46.3% | 30.0% | 60.0% | 60.0% |
| Alfentanil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fentanyl | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Remifentanil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data are given in % or median [IQR]. Percentages for “Insufficiency of anaesthesia” refer to all spinal anaesthesia cases. Subcategories (pain, restlessness, discomfort) are conditional percentages calculated among cases with insufficient block. Bupivacaine 0.5% refers to hyperbaric bupivacaine. If isobaric bupivacaine was used, it was recorded under “Other/unspecified”. Due to small numbers, percentages should be interpreted cautiously. Emergency caesarean deliveries include urgency categories 1–3 according to the widely used Lucas classification [10]. CS caesarean section