A SERVICE EVALUATION ON REGIONAL ANAESTHETIC BLOCK TESTING FOR CAESAREAN SECTION 

Introduction

 

The majority of caesarean sections occur under regional anaesthesia due to a more favourable risk profile. Unfortunately, some women experience pain or significant discomfort during their procedure which can have a major impact on their mental health. 

 

The particular difficulty for the anaesthetist is that there is no consensus on what constitutes an adequate block, and until recently, no consensus on how to test a block prior to surgery. 

 

In 2022 guidance was published on how to test a regional block1. We audited our current practice on the testing of adequacy of regional anaesthesia for caesarean section and compared it to the recommendations.