• Chryssoula Staikou, Alexandros Μakris, Kassiani Theodoraki, Athanasia Τsaroucha, Amalia Douma, Eleni Μoka, Eleni Αrnaoutoglou, Tilemahos Paraskevopoulos, Ioanna Siafaka, Efi Stavropoulou, and Eriphili Αrgyra.
• Clinic of Anesthesia, Aretaieio Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
• Balkan Med J. 2018 Sep 21; 35 (5): 394-397.

AimsThis descriptive survey was to evaluate the use of regional anesthesia in obstetrics in Greek public hospitals.MethodsThe survey was conducted between March and August 2016. A structured questionnaire was sent to 50 anesthesia departments in Greek public hospitals with obstetric units.ResultsThe response rate was 94%. Data corresponding to 9475 cesarean and 8155 vaginal deliveries were collected. Regional anesthesia was used in 69.2% of all cesareans, with single shot spinal being the most popular (44.3% of all cesareans). Combined spinal-epidural anesthesia was used in 18.1% of all cesareans (35.1% in hospitals of Athens versus 7.9% outside Athens, p<0.001). Post-cesarean analgesia was applied with simple analgesics and systematic opioids (78.6%). Long-acting spinal opioids were rarely used (4.4% of spinal and spinal/epidurals). Labor epidural analgesia was applied in 19.1% of all vaginal deliveries (30.3% in Athens versus 13.1% outside Athens, p<0.001). Paracetamol and pethidine represented the standard labor analgesics in 48.9% and 55.3% of all hospitals. Intravenous remifentanil was used in 10.6% of hospitals (50% in Athens versus 2.5% outside Athens, p=0.002). In 48.9% of hospitals, mainly outside Athens, the anesthesiologists did not get involved in labor analgesia.ConclusionRegional anesthesia is the most common practice for cesareans in Greek public hospitals; however, the percentage of general anesthesia remains high. In addition, the use of labor epidural analgesia is limited in hospitals outside Athens.

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