Obstetric anesthesia services in Israel snapshot (OASIS) study: A 72 hour cross-sectional observational study of workforce supply and demand

BACKGROUND: We planned an observational study to assess obstetric anesthesia services nationwide. We aimed to assess the effect of the anesthesia workload/workforce ratio on quality and safety outcomes of obstetric anesthesia care. METHODS: Observers prospectively collected data from labor units over 72 h (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). Independent variables were workload (WL) and workforce (WF). WL was assessed by the Obstetric Anesthesia Activity Index (OAAI), which is the estimated time in a 24-h period spent on epidurals and all cesarean deliveries. Workforce (WF) was assessed by the number of anesthesiologists dedicated to the labor ward per week. Dependent variables were the time until anesthesiologist arrival for epidural (quality measure) and the occurrence of general anesthesia for urgent Cesarean section, CS, (safety measure). This census included vaginal deliveries and unscheduled (but not elective) CS. RESULTS: Data on 575 deliveries are from 12 maternity units only, primarily because a major hospital chain chose not to participate; eight other hospitals lacked institutional review board approval. The epidural response rate was 94.4%; 321 of 340 parturients who requested epidural analgesia (EA) received it. Of the 19 women who requested EA but gave birth without it, 14 (77%) were due to late arrival of the anesthesiologist. Median waiting times for anesthesiologist arrival ranged from 5 to 28 min. The OAAI varied from 4.6 to 25.1 and WF ranged from 0 to 2 per shift. Request rates for EA in hospitals serving predominantly orthodox Jewish communities and in peripheral hospitals were similar to those of the entire sample. More than a fifth (13/62; 21%) of the unscheduled CS received general anesthesia, and of these almost a quarter (3/13; 23%) were attributed to delayed anesthesiologist arrival. CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate WF allocations may impair quality and safety outcomes in obstetric anesthesia services. OAAI is a better predictor of WL than delivery numbers alone, especially concerning WF shortage. To assess the quality and safety of anesthetic services to labor units nationally, observational data on workforce, workload, and clinical outcomes should be collected prospectively in all labor units in Israel

Amniotic Fluid Embolism: A Rare Complication of Second-Trimester Amniocentesis

Amniotic fluid embolism occurring following diagnostic amniocentesis is extremely rare. Only 2 cases have been reported in the English literature over the past 55 years, the most recent one approximately 3 decades ago. We present a case of amniocentesis at 24 weeks' gestation that was performed as part of an evaluation of abnormal fetal ultrasound findings. Immediately following amniotic fluid aspiration, maternal hemodynamic collapse occurred, initially diagnosed and treated as anaphylactic shock. Shortly after initial therapy, coagulopathy was noted and amniotic fluid syndrome suspected. Rapid response restored maternal hemodynamic stability; however, the fetus had suffered fatal damage

Anesthetic management for oocyte retrieval: An exploratory analysis comparing outcome in in vitro fertilization cycles with and without pre-implantation genetic diagnosis

Purpose: To date, there has been no comparison of outcomes in women undergoing anesthesia for in vitro fertilization (IVF) oocyte retrieval for the purpose of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) because of their or their partner′s genetic disease relative to the outcome in women requiring IVF because of fertility issues. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study, wherein all demographic and anesthetic management data were collected from IVF and PGD units′ records for a 6-month period. Descriptive analyses and parametric tests were employed. Results: There were 307 cases IVF and 76 cases PGD: most (97.4% and 99.7%, respectively) received general anesthesia with propofol and fentanyl ± dipyrone (90.5% and 93.3%, respectively) with no adverse effects. The only statistically significant difference between IVF and PGD groups that was potentially clinically significant was post-procedure recovery time (23.0 ± 20.4 vs. 29.4 ± 35.8 min, respectively; P < 0.0001), but is explainable as greater caution by Anesthesiologists for higher-risk PGD cases having autosomal dominant diseases that may impact anesthesia management (myotonic dystrophy, neurofibromatosis, Marfan′s); two of these cases also recovered in the general post-anesthesia care unit, as a precaution for early diagnosis and treatment of potential post-procedural complication. Conclusions: Results of this first-ever survey of anesthesia for PGD compared with IVF cases imply that propofol-and-fentanyl-based anesthesia is safe and can be recommended, bearing in mind that with patients who have autosomal dominant diseases impacting anesthetic management it is prudent to be more cautious post-recovery

Concurrent medical conditions among pregnant women - ignore at their peril: report from an antenatal anesthesia clinic

Abstract Background Care of pregnant women with concurrent medical conditions can be optimized by multidisciplinary antenatal management. In the current study we describe women with concurrent medical conditions who attended our antenatal anesthesia clinic over a 14-year period, 2002–2015 and, based on the findings, we suggest new policies, strategies and practices to improve antenatal care. Methods In 2002, an antenatal anesthesia clinic was established in Hadassah Medical Center. Each consultation focused on the concurrent medical condition. A written anesthesia strategy according to the medical condition and its anesthesia considerations was discussed and given to the patient. Data regarding clinic visits were recorded. Results A total of 451 clinic women attended the antenatal anesthesia clinic. Maternal age was 31.7 ± 6.0 years (mean ± SD), with gestational age of pregnancy 33.0 ± 5.4 weeks at the clinic visit. Musculoskeletal conditions (23% of all the women seen) were the most frequent concurrent conditions, followed by anesthesia related concerns 20%, neurologic conditions 19%, and cardiac conditions 15%. Women were provided plans that were deliberated carefully rather than being concocted during labor. Conclusions A wide range of concurrent medical conditions was seen in the antenatal anesthesia clinic, however fewer women attended the clinic than expected according to known population frequencies of concurrent medical conditions. Women with concurrent medical conditions should have labor and anesthesia plans considered during the nine months of pregnancy, prior to delivery, and hospitals should have a means of obtaining this information in a timely manner. Finally, there is a need to develop additional antenatal anesthesia clinics

The anesthetic approach to repeated cesarean sections: A prospective cohort study

Objective: Each repeat cesarean section (CS) potentially adds surgical complexity. The determination of appropriate anesthesia strategy to meet the surgical challenge is of crucial importance for the maternal and neonatal outcome. Study design: This prospective cohort study was conducted from 1-Jan-2021 to 31-Dec-2021 at a single large obstetric centre of all repeat CS. We compared the characteristics and the appropriateness of the anesthesia techniques for low-order repeat CS (LOR-CS) (1 or 2 previous CS) and high order repat CS (HOR-CS) group (3 or more repeat CS). Results: During the study period, 1057 parturients met the study entry criteria, with 821 parturients in the LOR-CS group and 236 parturients in the HOR-CS group. The use of spinal anesthesia was more common for HOR-CS 84.3%. Overall surgical time varied between LOR-CS (38 min, 29–49) and HOR-CS (42 min, 31–57) (p = 0.004).The rate of moderate and severe adhesions was relatively high in HOR-CS and the duration of overall surgical time for cases with mild adhesions was 38 min (29–48), for moderate adhesions was 44 min (34.8–56.5), and for severe adhesions was 56 min (44.8–74.3). There was no significant difference in the Estimated Blood Loss (EBL) between LOR-CS and HOR-CS, with values of 653 ± 292 ml vs. 660 ± 285 ml, respectively. Conclusion: Our data indicate that spinal anesthesia, standard monitoring and regular anesthetic setup are safe and suitable for the majority of HOR-CS, except in cases with high suspicion of placental accreta spectrum