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Neuraxial Analgesia for Caesarean and Vaginal Delivery and Childhood Learning Disabilities

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Anaesthesia, Pharmacology, Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine A.P.I.C.E.

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Abstract

The short- and long-term effects of obstetric anaesthetic techniques on behaviour and development of the neonate, infant and child have been of long-standing interest. It is clear that these techniques may at least transiently affect some aspects of newborn behaviour [1–7]. However, the impact of obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia on long-term outcomes in the absence of concurrent events such as foetal asphyxia is not known. Studies evaluating the association between perinatal and environmental characteristics and childhood behavioural outcomes have suggested that operative or instrumented deliveries per se are not linked to childhood behavioural disorders or abnormalities in cognitive, verbal or reading functioning [8–12], but these studies do not specifically evaluate the impact of anaesthesia and analgesia.

This presentation is a part of research paper by: Sprung J, Flick RP, Wilder RT, et al. (2009). Anesthesia for cesarean delivery and learning disabilities in a population-based birth cohort. Anesthesiology 111(2):302–310. Permission granted from Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Authors
  1. J. Sprung
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  2. R. Flick
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  3. D. Warner
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department and School of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Catania University-Hospital, Catania, Italy

    Antonino Gullo

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Sprung, J., Flick, R., Warner, D. (2011). Neuraxial Analgesia for Caesarean and Vaginal Delivery and Childhood Learning Disabilities. In: Gullo, A. (eds) Anaesthesia, Pharmacology, Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine A.P.I.C.E.. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2014-6_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2014-6_23

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Milano

  • Print ISBN: 978-88-470-2013-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-88-470-2014-6

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