Detection of Hypotension During Caesarean Section With Continuous Non-Invasive Arterial Pressure Device or Intermittent Oscillometric Arterial Pressure Measurement

Background The intensified use of spinal anaesthesia (SPA) for Caesarean section significantly contributed to a decreased maternal mortality and morbidity. Nevertheless, one of the major side-effects is hypotension after SPA with potential negative effects on the fetus. Owing to discontinuous oscillometric measurements (non-invasive arterial pressure, NIAP), hypotensive episodes may be missed. Recently, a continuous NIAP measurement device (CNAP) with acceptable agreement with the mean invasive AP was introduced. We hypothesized that CNAP detects hypotensive episodes more reliably compared with NIAP measurements. Methods A total of 65 women undergoing Caesarean section under SPA were included in the study analysis. A total of 888 NIAP measurements obtained at 3 min cycles, starting from before SPA and continued until delivery, were analysed. Results When averaged over all cycles, the lowest systolic AP identified by CNAP in each cycle [105 mm Hg, (24.4)] was significantly lower (P Conclusions The CNAP device detected more hypotensive episodes after SPA and significantly lower AP compared with NIAP. AP monitoring based on CNAP may improve haemodynamic management in this patient population with potential benefit for the fetus.