Conversion to general anesthesia and intravenous supplementation during intrapartum cesarean delivery with an indwelling epidural catheter: a retrospective study

Background Intraoperative pain during cesarean delivery with or without conversion to general anesthesia has been shown to negatively impact maternal and perinatal morbidity. Efforts to reduce these adverse events are a recent focus of obstetric anesthesia care. We aimed to assess rates of and risk factors for conversion to general anesthesia and intraoperative pain during intrapartum cesarean delivery with an indwelling epidural catheter in our academic center. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, all women undergoing cesarean delivery with an indwelling epidural catheter between January 2017 and June 2022 were included. Labor epidural analgesia was provided according to a standardized protocol, and conversion to epidural anesthesia was achieved in the operating room before surgery. We determined the conversion rate to general anesthesia and associated risk factors. Second, we examined the rate of administration of analgesics/sedatives and related risk factors in cesarean cases that were not converted to general anesthesia. Results Among the 1192 women undergoing intrapartum cesarean delivery with epidural anesthesia, there were 97 cases with conversion to general anesthesia (8.1%), of which 87 (89.7%) were due to a failed epidural. Higher age, higher weight, and higher gestational age were associated with decreased odds of conversion to general anesthesia. Higher gravidity and longer surgical time were associated with increased odds. An emergent indication was not associated with conversion to general anesthesia. Intravenous analgesic/sedative supplementation occurred in 141 cases (12.9%). Higher age was associated with decreased odds of supplementation, and longer surgical time was associated with increased odds. Conclusion In our tertiary academic center, the rate of intraoperative conversion to general anesthesia and administration of analgesic/sedative medication among women undergoing intrapartum cesarean delivery with epidural anesthesia was relatively high. Emergency cesarean delivery was not associated with either of the above endpoints. Data are available upon reasonable request.