Journal of clinical anesthesia
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Anaesthesia is required in 0.4-1% of pregnant women, and prolonged and repeated exposures to anaesthesia may be required. It is unknown whether these exposures may result in foetal neurotoxicity in humans. As sheep have a gestation comparable to that of humans, the objective of this study was to analyse the neurodevelopmental outcome of ovine foetuses that had been exposed in utero to repeated and prolonged anaesthesia. ⋯ There is no evidence for foetal neuronal injury or neurobehavioural impairments after a cumulative duration of 5 h repetitive prenatal anaesthesia in sheep.