Association of the dose of maternal general anaesthesia during Caesarean delivery with 5-minute Apgar scores: a retrospective single centre cohort study

In this cohort of preterm, late preterm, and term neonates delivered <i>via</i> planned CD or Caesarean hysterectomy, total general anaesthetic dose was statistically associated with the 5-min Apgar score, although the clinical effect was modest. The attenuation of the EMAC-AUC association after adjusting for MAP80AUC suggests that maternal hypotension may play an important explanatory role, although causality cannot be inferred. Maintaining mean arterial pressure >80 mm Hg may reduce the likelihood of low Apgar scores, although prospective studies are needed to confirm this relationship.