A Follow-up Programme for Preventing Post-Operative Anaesthetic Complications in Obstetric Care

Context: Following obstetric and surgery, complications occurring in the postoperative period are important causes of morbidity and mortality. Prompt identification and management is important to improve the quality of postpartum care. Objective: To identify postoperative complications occurring in post partum patients in the ward, to find a way of minimizing such complications and to determine ways of improving services for the obstetric patients. Study Design, Setting and Subjects: This is a prospective study of two hundred and fifty parturients who had Caesarean section under either general or regional anaesthesia in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital between January to August, 2004. Main Outcome Measures: Identification of complications occurring in the postoperative period in the ward for the first three days and assessment of the severity of pain. Results: Complications were identified in 37.2% (n=93) patients. The commonest complications were pain at the operation site – 24%(n=60), post dural puncture headache (PDPH) – 2% (n=5), hypertension – 2% (n=5), headache of other origin – 2.4% (n=6), back pain 2.8% (n=7) and monoplegia 0.4% (n=1). Conclusion: This study shows a high incidence of non-anaesthesia related complications. However, the anaesthesia related complications were of a more serious nature.