Spinal and General Anesthesia on APGAR of the Infants Born with Elective Caesarean Section

Background and Objective: Apgar score is a useful assessment for newborn, and a safe, appropriate and affordable anesthetic approach is paramount importance to both neonates and moms. This study aimed at determining the effect of general and spinal anesthesia on Apgar score of the neonates borne with cesarean section. Material and Methods: This randomized blinded clinical trial was conducted on 200 candidates for elective caesarean section in Imam Sajjad Hospital of Yasoug. Via simple random sampling, the participants were assigned to two groups of spinal or general anesthesia, and Apgar scores recorded at first, fifth and twentieth minute. Spinal anesthesia with 2ml of lidocaine 5% and general anesthesia with 5mg/kg thiopental and 1.5 mg/kg succinylcholine for induction, and N20 and halothane were used for maintenance of anesthesia. The data was analyzed by SPSS software, using T test and chi-square (P< 0.05). Results: The mean Apgar score at first and fifth minute in general anesthesia group was 8.1±0.6 and 92.9±25.0, and in spinal group was 9.01±0.2 and 9.92±0.33. There was significant difference between the two groups for the first minute (p>0.05) but it was not the case for the other times. Conclusion: Apgar score of the first minute in spinal anesthesia is higher that of general anesthesia. Hence, spinal anesthesia is recommended for elective cesarean section.