Systemic Toxicity of Local Anesthetics: Assessment of Midwives' Awareness and Knowledge Proficiency

Aim: The main aim of our study was to assess midwives' comprehension and knowledge regarding the systemic toxicity linked to frequently utilized local anesthetics.Materials and Methods: The study comprised 181 midwives employed in various hospitals throughout Turkey. A survey served as the instrument for data gathering. The acquired data were statistically evaluated with IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 for Windows.Results: In response to treatment of local anesthetic systemic toxicity, 16.6% of participants recommended ceasing local anesthetic administration, 66.9% advocated for oxygen administration and airway management, and 16.6% suggested the administration of a 20% lipid solution. A statistically significant shift was noted just for the symptom of "imbalance" in the evaluation of participants' awareness of early-stage symptoms. Upon evaluating their awareness of late-stage symptoms and professional experience, only the responses pertaining to respiratory depression demonstrated statistical significance.Conclusion: Our findings indicate that midwives require training to enhance their awareness and understanding of the symptomatology, prevention, and management of local anesthetic systemic toxicity.