A comparison of spinal Anaesthesia in traditional sitting position versus cross-legged sitting position in Parturients undergoing elective caesarean section—a Randomised controlled trial

Background

Spinal anaesthesia is the preferred technique for caesarean delivery, owing to the several benefits it carries for mother and fetus. Appropriate patient positioning is vital as it improves the patient comfort, reduces the time taken, the number of attempts required, and decreases the number of needle and bone contacts during the procedure. Our study primarily aimed to compare number of attempts taken for successful needle placement in a sitting position versus a cross-legged sitting position. Secondary objectives included patient comfort, ease of palpation, and block characteristics.

Methods

Our study was a prospective, nonblinded, single-centre study. The patients were randomly assigned to one of the two groups using a computer-generated randomisation table and opaque envelope technique. A total of 110 parturients posted for the elective caesarean delivery received spinal anaesthesia in either a traditional sitting position or a cross-legged sitting position.

Results

The parturients in both groups were comparable in terms of age, height and weight. The number of attempts was equal in both groups, with 60 % of patients were successful at 1st attempt; n = 33 p-Value = 0.384). The landmark palpability, block characteristics and patient comfort were comparable in both groups

Conclusion

We found comparable results in both positions, either traditional sitting position can be used to administer spinal anaesthesia in parturients based on their comfort and preference