Abstract

MARTINEZ-JIMENEZ, F.; GUASCH, E.; BLAS, M. de  and  GILSANZ, F.. Cronobiology in obstetric epidural anesthesia: consequences of the sleep deprivation among anestresiologist in the complications rate. Rev. Soc. Esp. Dolor [online]. 2006, vol.13, n.2, pp.73-80. ISSN 1134-8046.

Introduction: Sleep deprivation effects in vigilance, performance and complications have been previously studied in general population and in medical tasks too. Results from these studies weren’t definitive. Aim: Our objective is to compare the number of complications during the epidural puncture itself, (haematic, paresthesias, accidental dural puncture and others) during the analgesia period (lateral, incomplete or imperfect analgesia, inefficacious, repuncture tax) and 24 hours after delivery, looking for late complications and to evaluate differences between day and night. We defined day from 9:00 to 21:59 h and night between 22:00 and 8:59h. Patients and methods: We performed a computered data-base analysis on regional blocks for labour analgesia in a level 4 universitary hospital with a 24 hours epidural analgesia unit during 2 months. Results: We have studied 1097 patients that resulted homogeneous in demographic and obstetric variables when we compared day versus night. The number of patients demanding analgesia didn’t show differences between day and night. We couldn’t find differences in the incidence of complications neither during the block performance nor in the incidence of incomplete, lateral analgesia or block failure. Conclusions: It looks that workload or sleep deprivation don’t have so much influence over the complications taxes in a 24 hours labour analgesia unit. It could be due to the interest and stress of the medical activity.

Keywords : obstetric analgesia; sleep deprivation; complications in anesthesia.

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