Committee of Origin: Obstetric Anesthesia These guidelines apply to the use of neuraxial anesthesia and labor anesthesia or analgesia in which local anesthetics are administered to the parturient during labor…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
