Anaesthesia for emergency caesarean section

Summary Globally, the emergency caesarean section rate has been rising. The majority of caesarean sections are done using regional techniques rather than general anaesthesia. For general anaesthesia, the use of supraglottic airway devices can be considered and an obstetric difficult airway algorithm is vital in the management of the difficult airway. Regional anaesthesia can be done through various techniques, including single shot spinal, epidural and combined spinal epidural anaesthesia, as well as less commonly used methods, such as rapid sequence spinal and continuous spinal anaesthesia. This article discusses the indication for different methods of anaesthesia and their advantages and risks. There are also some updates regarding decision-to-delivery time, prophylactic antibiotic administration and preoxygenation duration based on recent guidelines and studies.