Assessment of the Impact of Prolonged Cesarean Section on Neonatal PH

Background: Prolonged predelivery time in cesarean-section (C-section) may be associated with worse neonatal outcomes such as lower umbilical cord acid-base profile. This study investigated the association between surgical and anesthetic predelivery time intervals and neonatal acidosis in pregnant women delivering via C-section under spinal anesthesia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 70 pregnant women candidates for elective cesarean C-section, referred to Yas Hospital. Results: Umbilical artery pH<7.3 was observed in 27 (38.6%) out of 70 included participants. The study variables including maternal age, hypertension, and gestational diabetes were not associated with umbilical pH level. 1-minute Apgar scores were linearly associated with pH (β: 0.170, 0.100 to 0.239, p-value<0.001). Among all evaluated surgical and anesthetic intervals, induction of spinal anesthesia to delivery (β: -0.008, -0.012 to -0.004, p-value<0.001), and skin incision to uterine incision interval (β: -0.006, -0.009 to -0.002, p-value=0.002) interval time had a significant linear association with PH. Conclusion: The duration of induction of spinal anesthesia to delivery and skin incision to the uterine incision in non-emergent C-sections is linked to lower neonatal umbilical pH which shows the importance of optimizing the timing of elective C-section surgeries and reducing the risk of neonatal acidosis for obstetricians and anesthesiologists.