Abstract: Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiac output and other hemodynamic measurements made using the FloTrac/VigileoTM system in patients undergoing spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean section. Methods: A prospective study enrolling 19 healthy pregnant women was performed. Hemodynamic parameters were continuously obtained at 14 main points: admission to surgery (two baseline measurements), after preload, after spinal anesthesia administration and 4 time points thereafter (4, 6, 8 and 10 min after anesthesia), at skin and uterine incision, newborn and placental delivery, oxytocin administration, end of surgery. Hemodynamic therapy was guided by mean arterial pressure, and vasopressors were used as appropriate to maintain baseline values. A repeated measures ANOVA was used for data analysis. Results: There was a significant decrease of MAP up to 4 min after spinal anesthesia (P<0.05). And heart rate increased with MAP decreased after newborn and placental delivery. Importantly, stroke volume variation decreased after preload and oxytocin administration (P< 0.05) and returned to basal values at the end of surgery. Further hemodynamic parameters showed no significant changes over time. Conclusion: No significant hemodynamic effects, except for heart rate and stroke volume changes, were observed in pregnant women managed with preload and vasopressors when undergoing elective cesarean section and spinal anesthesia.

Key words: cardic output, stroke volume, stroke volume variation, cesarean section, spinal anaesthesia, FloTrac/Vigileo?