Quality Metrics for Cesarean Delivery: More Than Just General Anesthesia Rates

( J Clin Anesth. 2024;94:111398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinane.2024.111398) General anesthesia should be avoided for cesarean deliveries when possible but used when necessary, and sometimes it may be the preferred option. The shift in obstetric anesthesia practices to minimize general anesthesia for cesarean deliveries for maternal safety began in 1997. Hawkins and colleagues reported a 17-fold increase in mortality for patients undergoing general anesthesia for cesarean delivery compared with those receiving regional anesthesia. From 2011 to 2013, maternal mortality in the United States was 17 per 100,000 births, and the proportion of anesthesia-related maternal deaths decreased from 1.6% (1990 to 1997) to 0.2% (2011 to 2013). This reduction is partly attributed to decreased general anesthesia rates for cesarean deliveries.