Airway management for anaesthesia performed at the end of labour: survey of practices

To describe the airway management during general anaesthesia performed at the end of labour. Observational retrospective study in a French university obstetrical unit. All parturients who underwent general anaesthesia for manual removal of the placenta or instrumental delivery were included. Demographic data, anaesthesia management, indication and duration of anaesthesia were recorded. Incidents as vomiting, a drop in oxygen saturation of five points or more, aspiration and difficult endotracheal intubation were investigated. Among 111 parturients with inclusion criteria, the rate of tracheal intubation was 5%. The duration of anaesthesia ranged from five to 60 minutes (mean duration: 16 min). No incident was recorded within the methodological limits of this retrospective study. There is a major discrepancy between guidelines and clinical practice in our unit concerning systematic tracheal intubation during general anaesthesia performed at the end of labour. A national survey is in process to confirm these results.