Substance Use Disorders
Abstract Use of certain licit and illicit substances by pregnant women can pose a significant risk to maternal and fetal health. To improve diagnosis and reduce the moral tenor, the…
Renal Disease
Abstract “Children of women with renal disease used to be born dangerously or not at all—not at all if their doctors had their way.” This statement describes early experiences with…
Neurologic Complications of Pregnancy and Neuraxial Anesthesia
Abstract Neurologic complications of childbirth may be associated with neuraxial analgesia and anesthesia or may result from childbirth itself. Complications of neuraxial anesthesia may be immediate, such as an unexpectedly…
Psychiatric Disorders
Abstract Psychiatric disorders occur commonly during pregnancy and can have significant effects on the mother, child, and family, and important economic costs to society. Suicide is a major cause of…
Cardiovascular Disease
Abstract Cardiac disease is the leading cause of indirect maternal mortality. The optimal management of women with cardiovascular disease begins before conception. Normal physiologic changes of pregnancy and the peripartum…
Epidural and Spinal Analgesia: Anesthesia for Labor and Vaginal Delivery
Abstract The ideal labor analgesic technique is safe for both the mother and the infant, does not interfere with the progress of labor and delivery, and provides flexibility in response…
Hematologic and Coagulation Disorders
Abstract This chapter first addresses the medical, obstetric, and anesthetic considerations for diagnoses that cause anemia in pregnancy. The second half of the chapter reviews the coagulation cascade, the acquired…
Preterm Labor and Delivery
Abstract Preterm delivery is defined as delivery before 37 weeks’ gestation. It occurs in 5% to 9% of pregnancies in developed countries and is responsible for 75% to 80% of…
Abnormal Presentation and Multiple Gestation
Abstract The labor and delivery of a parturient with a multiple gestation and/or fetal breech presentation represents a major challenge for the obstetrician and the anesthesia provider. Anesthetic requirements may…
