Prevention of Spinal Hypotension During Caesarean Section: Comparison of 6% Hydroxyethyl Starch and Ringer’s Lactate.

Background: Volume preload with intravenous fluid is a method used in preventing spinal anaesthesia induced hypotension during caesarean section. We compared the efficacy of preloading with 1000ml Ringer’s Lactate (RL) solution versus 500ml 6% Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) in preventing hypotension in two groups of women undergoing elective caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia. Patients and methods: With the approval of the Ethics Committee of our hospital 50 American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status I and II women undergoing elective caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia were recruited for the study. The patients were either preloaded with 1000ml RL or with 500ml HES. After instituting spinal anaesthesia the patients’ blood pressure and heart rate were monitored. Hypotension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) Key words: Spinal anaesthesia, caesarean section, hypotension