Available data for obstetric care in the University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur from 1987 to 1999 were reviewed. Despite incomplete data, we were able to determine fairly well the practice of obstetric anaesthesia and analgesia in the unit, and the changes over the years. There was a decline in the use of general anaesthesia for both elective and emergency caesarean sections from 41.3% and 69.4% respectively in 1995 to 21.6% and 26.9% respectively in 1999. By 1999, regional anaesthesia had become the most common method of anaesthesia administered in both elective (14.3% epidural and 63.5% spinal) and emergency (30.2% epidural and 42.6% spinal) caesarean sections. The percentage of patients delivering vaginally who received epidural analgesia appeared to have stabilised at about 8 to 9% in the last few years, with a gradual decline in the total instrumental delivery rate from a high of about 12% to the pre-epidural rate of 7%.
We present a case of headache following epidural anaesthesia for caesarean section. The patient did not exhibit the classical features of post dural puncture headache and the cause was uncertain. The headache was complicated by post partum seizure and a history of pregnancy-induced hypertension. A diagnostic lumbar puncture had to be done to exclude meningitis as she had a raised white blood count. An epidural blood patch performed 12 days post partum resolved the headache immediately.
A 5-year retrospective survey of anaesthesia for caesarean section for mild/moderate and severe preeclampsia was performed, covering the period between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2000. One hundred and twenty-one cases of non-labouring preeclamptic patients receiving spinal or epidural anaesthesia for caesarean section were included for analysis. Comparisons were made of the lowest blood pressures recorded before induction of anaesthesia, during the period from induction to delivery and the period from delivery to the end of operation. The decreases in blood pressure were similar after spinal and epidural anaesthesia. The use of intravenous fluids and ephedrine were also comparable in the two anaesthetic groups. There was no difference in maternal or neonatal outcome. Our result supports the use of spinal anaesthesia in preeclamptic women.
One hundred patients scheduled for elective caesarean section under epidural anaesthesia were randomized to have epidural loading doses in either the horizontal or a 10 degrees head-up position. They were assigned to their position only after an initial dose of 4 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine had been given. Ten minutes after this dose they were given 10 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine and 50 microg of fentanyl in their allocated position. Pain during surgery was assessed by the patients using a visual analogue scale and by a blinded anaesthetist. Giving the main dose in the head-up tilt position reduced the incidence of intea-operative pain significantly. The median pain score for the head-up position was zero while the score was two for the horizontal position. The inter-quartile range was 0 to 2 for the head-up tilt position and 0 to 4 for the horizontal position (P<0.05). Position had no significant effect on the blood pressure or Bromage score. A 10 degrees head-up tilt position is useful during the establishment of epidural anaesthesia to reduce the pain experienced by the patient during caesarean section.
A survey was conducted in several countries in the Far East in an attempt to determine the practice of obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia there. Survey forms were sent to a total of 11 countries but in the end responses from only four countries were able to provide useful information. Responses from Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia covered between 44.9% (Singapore) and 24.6% (Malaysia) of their countries' total deliveries in 1997 and were thought to be adequate to give an impression of the obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia services in their respective countries, although this would not necessarily be completely accurate. From our survey, we found that the availability of regional analgesia for labour paralleled the economic status of the country and that a significant number of caesarean sections are conducted under regional anaesthesia, mainly spinals.
If asked to describe the term "anesthesiologist scholar", one may receive a variety of definitions depending on the individual's area of practice, location in the world, and the generation in which they trained. In this article, we review the roles of five core elements that make an anesthesiologist a "scholar": skills in critical appraisal, literature review, quality improvement, journal club participation, and presentation delivery. Although this list of scholarly components is not comprehensive, review of each element's role in the everyday practice and training of physicians will offer insight into their evolution and may offer a glimpse into the future of anesthesiologist scholars. Overall, through the dissemination, recognition, and support of scholarship through these practices, we will continue to achieve meaningful outcomes for our patients and promote a culture of collaboration worldwide. We should ensure that these topic areas become a bedrock of medical education globally, and we must foster opportunities for those who have already completed training to develop and master these skills as a part of their clinical and academic practice.