14 DAY TRIAL // A new report concluded that deaths from anesthesia during childbirth have significantly dropped over the past two decades, mainly thanks to improved monitoring and better medical techniques.
The report was led by Joy Hawkins, MD, professor of anesthesiology and director of Obstetric Anesthesia at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and she said that the number of women who die from complications of anesthesia during childbirth has dropped 59%, these last twenty years.
The main reason for this success, is a greater focus on eliminating the complications of general anesthesia, thus reducing the risks dramatically.
Twenty to thirty years ago, women had higher chances of dying under general anesthesia, during childbirth, with many of those deaths occurring while undergoing c-sections.
During the 70's and the 80's, the death ratio between general anesthesia and regional anesthesia was of 17 to 1, respectively, and by the end of the 90's, the ratio dropped to 6 to 1.
Hawkins said that “general anesthesia now seems just as safe as a spinal or epidural for cesarean section.”
For her research, she analyzed cases of anesthesia-related maternal deaths for a twelve-year period, from 1991 to 2002, and compared the data to similar information from 1979 to 1990.
The results were rather encouraging – between 1979 and 1990, there were three deaths per million live births, while between 1991 and 2002, there was only one death per million live births.
However, the study noted that even if the numbers of women dying under general anesthesia has decreased, those dying under regional anesthetic (spinals and epidurals) have slightly risen to nearly 3.8 out of every million receiving the anesthesia.
“We focused our attention on the riskier technique – general anesthesia – and we brought those risks down, but we should not be complacent about our success,” said Hawkins.
“Having said that, one maternal death per million is an incredible safety record,” she added.
Nevertheless, more research is necessary on the deaths caused by regional anesthesia, since the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.
“More awareness is being focused on maintaining safety by paying attention to technique and assuring availability of emergency equipment,” said Hawkins, noting that the risk of death under general or regional anesthesia is remarkably low.
“Obstetric anesthesiologists have focused their efforts and attention on areas of concern, accomplished notable improvements in outcomes and will continue to do so,” she concluded.
Her study is published in the January 2011 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.