Patient Satisfaction With General Anesthesia Compared to Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Section: A Multicenter Observational Study

Background Satisfaction in patients undergoing cesarean section (CS) is of great importance in every hospital. There are big differences between spinal and general anesthesia for CS in terms of outcome, recovery times, and quality of service. Methods This multicenter observational study included 1443 patients who had elective (n=622) or emergency (n=821) CS in five medical centers over the period of 16 months. Bauer questionnaire was used for measuring patient satisfaction after CS. The questionnaire contained 15 questions about anesthesia-related discomfort and satisfaction with anesthesia care. Results During the study period, 1161 (80%) patients underwent CS under general anesthesia (GA) and 282 of them (20%) received spinal anesthesia (SA) for CS. The most frequently reported anesthesia-related discomfort was pain at the surgical site (>70%), drowsiness (68%), and thirst (60%). The data on patient satisfaction showed high satisfaction that exceeded 90%. Anesthesia side effects were less frequent and the general satisfaction rate was higher in the SA group compared to the GA group (P < .001). Conclusion SA for CS had less frequent side effects and a better satisfaction rate compared to GA for CS. Hospitals need to make room for improvement of postoperative acute pain control and introduction to Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols for elective CS.