Assessing Hemodynamic Changes During Locoregional Anesthesia in Cesarean Section: The Role of USCOM®.

Background

Locoregional anesthesia (LRA) during cesarean section (CS) is effective but frequently causes hypotension, affecting maternal hemodynamics and fetal outcomes. We investigated whether baseline hemodynamic characteristics predict post-LRA changes, vasopressor needs, and neonatal outcomes.

Methods

Women undergoing elective CS with LRA were monitored with USCOM® (Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor), recording cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV), stroke volume index (SVI), and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) every five minutes. Maternal demographics, vasopressor use, and neonatal outcomes were analyzed using multilevel linear regression.

Results

LRA caused significant reductions in blood pressure and heart rate (p < 0.001). SV initially declined but recovered, while SVR showed minimal variation. Vasopressors were required in 63%, with choice guided by heart rate. Lower baseline SVI predicted greater vasopressor need (37.9 ± 6.7 vs. 34.5 ± 6.6, p = 0.050). Lower CO and CI before fetal extraction correlated with reduced neonatal pH, with CI significantly associated with pH < 7.20 (p = 0.043).

Conclusions

USCOM® enables real-time, non-invasive monitoring, supporting individualized management during CS.