Awareness during general anesthesia for cesarean delivery

Choi, Sung Uk

Review

Obstetric Anesthesia

Anesthesia and Pain Medicine 2012;7(1):1-7.
Published online January 31, 2012.

Awareness during general anesthesia for cesarean delivery

Sung Uk Choi

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. drchois@korea.ac.kr

Abstract

Awareness during general anesthesia or intraoperative awareness is defined as the unexpected recall of events that occur during anesthesia by patients who receive general anesthesia. The objectives of general anesthesia for cesarean delivery are to keep mother and fetus adequately oxygenated, while limiting drug transmission across the placenta and maintaining maternal comfort. Therefore, the obstetric population is considered at high risk of awareness and recall when undergoing general anesthesia for cesarean delivery. Today, the incidence of awareness during cesarean delivery was reduced to approximately 0.26%, but it remains an undesirable complication with potential for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder. This review examines the recent knowledge of definition, causes, and prevention of awareness during general anesthesia for cesarean delivery.

Key Words: Awareness, Cesarean delivery, General anesthesia