Pain during cesarean delivery with neuraxial anesthesia — how common is it?

Added: 2026-04-30

[00:00:00]Pain during cesarean delivery is a common patient concern. So, how common is it? A recently published study in anesthesiology found that overall 7.6% of patients reported experiencing pain during their cesarean delivery with neuraxial anesthesia.

[00:00:17]Patients who were more likely to report pain include those who had an epidural top-up and Spanish-speaking patients. Of those who did report experiencing pain, 10.3% were not satisfied with how the anesthesia team managed their pain. The authors concluded that intraoperative pain during cesarean delivery with neuraxial anesthesia is fairly common.

[00:00:38]Potential interventions include pre-operative discussions with patients on how pain should be managed, use of interpreters, and heightened vigilance from anesthesia professionals, especially when the epidural top-up is the planned mode of anesthesia. Read more in the new in the literature summary at apsf.org.