Comparison of vasopressors for management of hypotension in high-risk caesarean section under neuraxial anesthesia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Abstract

Background

Vasopressors are effective in managing perioperative hypotension in high-risk parturients undergoing Caesarean section (CS). Nevertheless, the optimal vasopressor for addressing hypotension induced by neuraxial anesthesia remains a subject of investigation.

Methods

We compared hypotension episodes among high-risk parturients who received ephedrine, noradrenaline, or phenylephrine by searching four electronic databases and reviewing the relevant references. Inclusion criteria encompassed randomized controlled trials directly comparing two or more vasopressors in the context of managing hypotension in high-risk parturients undergoing neuraxial anesthesia for CS. A network meta-analysis was performed using fixed-effects and Bayesian random-effects models.

Results

We analyzed 13 trials involving 1,262 patients. While our direct and indirect comparisons revealed no reveal statistically significant differences in the number of hypotensive episodes among patients treated with different vasopressors, vasopressors were hierarchically ranked. Phenylephrine (Rank of the best choice = 0.81) exhibited the highest effectiveness in preventing hypotension, followed by ephedrine (Rank of the best choice = 0.10) and noradrenaline (Rank of the best choice = 0.09). Bradycardia occurrence was higher in patients administered phenylephrine compared to those given noradrenaline (risk ratio [RR]: 0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03 to 0.85) or ephedrine (RR: 0.01; 95% CI: 0.00 to 0.12). Notably, patients treated with phenylephrine or noradrenaline experienced reduced occurrences of nausea or vomiting compared to those who received ephedrine (RR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.59 for phenylephrine and RR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.75 for noradrenaline). Regarding fetal outcomes, no significant differences were noted between noradrenaline and phenylephrine. Overall norepinephrine in maternal outcomes may be more favorable.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest the potential advantages of phenylephrine for reducing hypotensive episodes in high-risk parturients undergoing CS. Noradrenalin may emerge as an alternative, particularly for women at high risk of caesarean delivery.

Trial registration

This systematic review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42023397259).