The effect of general anesthesia applied during cesarean section on newborn bilirubin

Aims: Today, delivery is often performed as normal spontaneous vaginal delivery (NSVD) and cesarean section operations. Deliveries with NSVD mostly take place in the delivery room without the need for additional anesthetic agents. General anesthesia and regional anesthesia techniques are applied in cesarean section operations. In this study; The aim of this study was to examine the effect of general anesthesia on newborn bilirubin and to compare it with the bilirubin level of babies born without general anesthesia with NSVD method. Methods: Between March 2022 and September 2022, 152 patients over the age of 18 with term pregnancy NSVD and elective cesarean section without complications were randomly included in the study. Cases diagnosed with liver and biliary tract disease, systemic liver and biliary tract effective drug use, DCOOMBS( +) and Covid (+) clinics were excluded. Results: Of the patients included in our study, 75 (49.3%) were given general anesthesia and 77 (50.7%) delivered with NSVD without general anesthesia. It was determined that the first hour bilirubin and the fourth hour bilirubin values were significantly higher (p <0.05) in the general anesthesia group compared to the group that did not receive general anesthesia. In the group that did not receive general anesthesia, the APGAR 5th min score was found to be significantly (p <0.05) higher than the general anesthesia group. APGAR 1 min value did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between the anesthesia-free and general anesthesia groups. Neonatal weight, head circumference, and infant height did not differ significantly between the groups that did not receive general anesthesia and those who did not receive general anesthesia (p> 0.05). Conclusion: Among the groups that did not receive general anesthesia and anesthesia; Bilirubin value was found to be higher among babies born by cesarean section under general anesthesia. It seems that it is more beneficial to avoid systemic effects as much as possible and to disseminate NSVD.