The Effect of Combined Spinal Epidural Anaesthesia on QTc Interval in Obese and Non-obese Parturients Undergoing Cesarean Section: A Comparative Study

Cesarean section is the operation to deliver the fetus, placenta and membranes by making an abdominal incision in the uterus. Cesarean section is performed for reasons such as head-pelvis incompatibility, fetal malposition, fetal distress, and previous cesarean section.

The most important side effects of spinal anaesthesia are problems such as hypotension, bradycardia, low back pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, meningitis, meningismus, and urinary retention.

Combined spinal-epidural (BSI) anaesthesia is the application of spinal and epidural anaesthesia together. High-dose local anaesthetics can cause significant hypotension when the epidural block is administered alone. The administration of spinal anaesthesia alone causes changes in arterial resistance, stroke volume, heart rate, cardiac output and arterial blood pressure. Sympathetic blockade leads to arterial vasodilation, and arterial resistance may decrease by 5-20% during spinal anaesthesia.

Due to the increased risk of maternal complications in obese pregnant, fetal morbidity and mortality have increased. In addition, supine hypotension syndrome is a common problem in obese pregnant women. The aim of this study is to compare the change in QTc interval in obese and non-obese term pregnancies planned for elective cesarean section with combined spinal epidural anaesthesia. Thus, it is aimed to develop new protocols that will minimize cardiac pathologies during and after surgery in obese pregnant women.