Background and Aims Category 1 caesarian section (Cat-1 section) is usually performed under general anaesthesia (GA), but recently this has been replaced with the rapid sequence spinal (RSSp) technique [1]. This audit assessed the anaesthetic complication rates and patient satisfaction, and foetal outcomes by comparing Cat-1 (Immediate threat to the life of woman or foetus) and Cat-2 (Maternal or foetal compromise not immediately life-threatening) sections done under spinal anaesthesia.

Methods Forty-three patients underwent Cat-1 sections between 1/3/2020 and 1/3/2022. Of these patients, twenty-three had RSSp anaesthetic. For these patients, the following data were collected from the local electronic maternity archive: (1) Grade of anaesthetist performing the RSSp, (2) Intraoperative complications, including conversion to GA and the use of IV or inhalational analgesia, (3) postoperative patient satisfaction with spinal anaesthesia (either positive = satisfied or negative=not satisfied) and the likelihood of having spinal anaesthesia if offered in the future (yes or no) and (4) Foetal outcome (either positive = alive or, negative=dead).

Then, the same data were collected for twenty-three patients who underwent Cat-2 sections under spinal anaesthesia during the same period.

Conclusions These results show no significant differences between Cat-1 section RSSp and Cat-2 section spinal anaesthesia outcomes, and this could help support the use of RSSp for Cat-1 sections.