STUDENT: Carissa Lozinger

PROJECT ADVISOR: Michael M. Evans

ABSTRACT

Research on epidurals versus spinal blocks and their risk of respiratory complications in caesarian sections was done to determine if one method was preferable due to a decrease in risk for respiratory complications during a caesarian section. When patients experience respiratory complications it not only costs the hospital money but also the patient while taking an emotional and physical toll on them. This complication’s minimum cost is approximately eleven thousand dollars if the Intensive Care Unit needs to be utilized by a patient who experienced a respiratory complication. The data was collected through the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) and the Cochrane Library with the keywords of respiratory complications, surgery, in mother, caesarian sections, spinal blocks, epidurals, and regional anesthesia. The searches resulted in 68 results total and 563 trials, in which, four systematic reviews and one cohort study were used for the research. After a thorough search of the databases, the research resulted in the answer being unknown specifically for this research question. The research concluded that more research needs to be done on this topic in the field to better determine the effects of an epidural compared to a spinal block in regards to their risk of respiratory complications in a caesarian section.