Compared with general anaesthesia , a central neuraxial block may reduce the zero to 30-day mortality for patients undergoing surgery with intermediate to high cardiac risk ( level of evidence , moderate ) .
BACKGROUND Various beneficial effects derived from neuraxial blocks have been reported .
However , it is unclear whether these effects have an influence on perioperative mortality and major pulmonary/cardiovascular complications .
OBJECTIVES Our primary objective was to summarize Cochrane systematic review s that assess the effects of neuraxial blockade on perioperative rates of death , chest infection and myocardial infa rct ion by integrating the evidence from all such review s that have compared neuraxial blockade with or without general anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia alone for different types of surgery in various population s. Our secondary objective was to summarize the evidence on adverse effects ( an adverse event for which a causal relation between the intervention and the event is at least a reasonable possibility ) of neuraxial blockade .
Comparison of general and epidural anesthesia in elective cesarean section for placenta previa totalis: maternal hemodynamics, blood loss and neonatal outcome.
There are few consistent guidelines in choosing anesthesia for cesarean section for a parturient with placenta previa . This prospect i ve r and omized trial was organized to compare the maternal hemodynamics , blood loss and neonatal outcome of general versus epidural anesthesia  for cesarean section with the diagnosis of grade 4 placenta previa . After giving informed consent , 12 patients received general anesthesia and 13 received epidural .  Intraoperative blood pressures demonstrated a more stable course in the epidural group than in the general group . Blood loss did not differ significantly between the groups ( 1622 + /- 775 mL vs. 1418 + /- 996 mL ) . General anesthesia result ed in lower immediate postoperative hematocrit level ( 28.1 + /- 3.5 % vs. 32.5 + /- 5.0 % , P < 0.05 ) . The patients in the general group received a significantly larger transfusion than the epidural group ( 1.08 + /- 1.6 vs. 0.38 + /- 0.9 units , P < 0.05 ) . The Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min were similar in the two groups ( 8 [ 4 - 9 ] vs. 8 [ 7 - 9 ] and 10 [ 6 - 10 ] vs. 9 [ 9 - 10 ] , respectively ) . We concluded that epidural anesthesia is superior to general anesthesia in elective cesarean section for grade 4 placenta previa with regard to maternal hemodynamics and blood loss . There was no difference in neonatal outcome
Compared with general anaesthesia , a central neuraxial block may reduce the zero to 30-day mortality for patients undergoing surgery with intermediate to high cardiac risk ( level of evidence , moderate ) .
BACKGROUND Various beneficial effects derived from neuraxial blocks have been reported .
However , it is unclear whether these effects have an influence on perioperative mortality and major pulmonary/cardiovascular complications .
OBJECTIVES Our primary objective was to summarize Cochrane systematic review s that assess the effects of neuraxial blockade on perioperative rates of death , chest infection and myocardial infa rct ion by integrating the evidence from all such review s that have compared neuraxial blockade with or without general anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia alone for different types of surgery in various population s. Our secondary objective was to summarize the evidence on adverse effects ( an adverse event for which a causal relation between the intervention and the event is at least a reasonable possibility ) of neuraxial blockade .