ABSTRACT
Maternal deaths from regional anaesthesia have become much more prominent as a proportion of the total number of anaesthetic-related deaths. This is secondary to a large reduction in mortality from obstetric general anaesthesia, but also because the denominator figures of the number of anaesthetics given has not been taken into account. Use of a regional technique for Caesarean section in mothers who are known to have a difficult airway is generally advised. During a regional nerve block, always assume that restlessness is caused by cerebral hypoxia until proved otherwise. There are no denominator data for maternal mortality, but there are reliable figures for the rate of high blocks occurring with regional anaesthesia. In a national survey of anaesthetic techniques used for Caesarean section during 1997, high block was the main cause of serious complications, with regional anaesthesia occurring in 1 in 3,865 cases. The potentially catastrophic effects of high regional anaesthesia are fully reversible if well managed.
