How fast an emergency cesarean actually happens
The 30-minute rule is a target, not a physiologic threshold.
Hospitals aim to begin an emergency cesarean within 30 minutes of the decision. In a study of 2,808 emergency cesareans, 65% began within 30 minutes.
Importantly, among the babies delivered more than 30 minutes after the decision, 95% had no measurable compromise. The 30-minute standard is a systems benchmark. Missing it by a few minutes is not the same as harming a baby.
A true crash cesarean, for a prolapsed cord or a placental abruption or a uterine rupture, moves far faster than that and may require general anesthesia because there is no time for a spinal.
Where this comes from:
292. Bloom SL, Leveno KJ, Spong CY, Gilbert S, Hauth JC, Landon MB, et al. Decision-to-incision times and maternal and infant outcomes. Obstet Gynecol. 2006;108(1):6-11.
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