Elective repeat cesarean section. Effect of anesthesia type on blood loss.

Halothane depresses uterine contractility and may increase cesarean blood loss during the use of general anesthesia. We retrospectively compared the medical records of 399 elective repeat cesarean section patients. We excluded medical and obstetric conditions that may predispose such patients to increased blood loss. Subsequent detailed record analysis included 84 patients receiving epidural anesthesia, 23 receiving halothane-supplemented nitrous oxide for general anesthesia and 14 receiving unsupplemented nitrous oxide for general anesthesia. No patient received a blood transfusion. The incidence of low postoperative hematocrits (less than 32%) following surgery was similar with all the anesthetic methods. Low-dose halothane supplementation of general anesthesia for elective cesarean section did not increase blood loss.