Ondansetron Prior to Subarachnoid Anesthesia in Parturient Patients Undergoing Cesarean Section to Decrease Hypotension: A Practice Change Guideline

Background: Cesarean sections account for 31% of all births annually, with spinal anesthesia being the preferred method of anesthesia. The side effects from spinal anesthesia in the parturient include hypotension, bradycardia, and vasodilation. The medication ondansetron, when administered before spinal anesthesia, can help mitigate some side effects of spinal anesthesia. Purpose: This DNP project was developed to educate anesthesia providers on the benefits of administering ondansetron before spinal anesthesia in a parturient scheduled for a cesarean section. Methods: This DNP project collected quantitative and qualitative data through electronic pre-tests and post-tests. An evidence-based educational intervention was conducted with a retrospective chart review. Implementation: Five anesthesia providers at a rural hospital in northern Indiana participated in this project. The providers were given a pre-test and then, one-on-one, provided with education from a PowerPoint presentation. Following the presentation, a post-test was administered. Additionally, a retrospective chart review was conducted three months before and three months after the educational intervention to determine if a practice change had been made regarding the timing of ondansetron administration. Conclusion: The introduction of an educational intervention improved anesthesia providers' knowledge on the benefits of ondansetron before spinal anesthesia in parturients, with a statistically significant (p < 0.001) increase in pre-test to post-test scores. Additionally, a retrospective chart review indicated that before the educational intervention, ondansetron was given 0% of the time before spinal anesthesia in parturients, and following the educational intervention, it was increased to 50% of the time before spinal anesthesia

Creator

• Holmer, Katie

Language

• English

Keyword

• Zofran
• ondansetron
• spinal anesthesia
• neuraxial anesthesia
• cesarean section
• cesarean delivery
• Bezold-Jarisch
• sympathectomy

Date created

• 2024

Resource type

• Research Paper

Rights statement

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/