Question

Anaesthesia of choice for cesarean section in severe pre-eclampsia:

• A. Spinal
• B. GA (general anaesthesia)
• C. Epidural
• D. Spinal + epidural

Hint:

Pick the technique you can titrate slowly while protecting a swollen airway.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: In severe pre-eclampsia the choice of anaesthesia is guided by haemodynamic stability and airway risk. A continuous neuraxial technique is preferred because it provides smooth, controllable analgesia and anaesthesia.
Step 2: Continuous epidural anaesthesia is the classic first choice in this setting. It can be titrated slowly to avoid abrupt falls in blood pressure, it improves uteroplacental perfusion, and it blunts the catecholamine surge that worsens hypertension. This matches option (c).
Step 3: General anaesthesia (option b) is avoided when possible because severe pre-eclampsia causes airway and laryngeal oedema that makes intubation difficult, and laryngoscopy provokes dangerous pressor responses. A single-shot spinal (option a) can cause a sudden, profound drop in blood pressure. Hence the controllable epidural technique, option (c), is the answer.