Preterm Labor and Delivery
DEFINITIONS A preterm infant is defined as one who is born between 20 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks’ gestation. Early preterm birth is defined as birth prior to 34 0/7…
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Postpartum Headache
Postpartum headache is the complaint of cephalic, neck, or shoulder pain occurring during the first 6 weeks after delivery. The incidence of postpartum headache throughout the 6-week postpartum period has…
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Neurologic Complications of Pregnancy and Neuraxial Anesthesia
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 high…
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The Difficult Airway: Risk, Assessment, Prophylaxis, and Management EPUB version of this bookEPUB version of this book
RISK Definitions The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Task Force on Management of a Difficult Airway defines a difficult airway as the clinical situation in which anticipated or unanticipated difficulty…
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Shared Decision-Making and Informed Consent in Obstetric Anesthesia
INFORMED CONSENT Informed consent is a foundational element of the ethical practice of modern medicine. Its purpose is to facilitate care in a manner that honors the autonomy of the…
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Postoperative Analgesia EPUB version of this bookEPUB version of this book
The cesarean delivery rate in the United States and around the world has been on an upward trajectory for over 50 years. With cesarean delivery accounting for 32% of all…
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Epidural and Spinal Analgesia: Anesthesia for Labor and Vaginal Delivery EPUB version of this bookEPUB version of this book
Epidural analgesia and spinal analgesia are the most effective methods of intrapartum pain relief in contemporary clinical practice. During the first stage of labor, pain results primarily from distention of…
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Aspiration: Risk, Prophylaxis, and Treatment EPUB version of this bookEPUB version of this book
HISTORY In 1848, Sir James Simpson first suggested aspiration as a cause of death during anesthesia. Hannah Greener, a 15-year-old given chloroform for a toenail extraction, became cyanotic and “sputtered”…
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Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery EPUB version of this bookEPUB version of this book
History Cesarean delivery (also known as cesarean section and cesarean birth ) is defined as the birth of an infant through incisions in the abdomen (laparotomy) and uterus (hysterotomy). Although…
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The Pain of Childbirth and Its Effect on the Mother and the Fetus EPUB version of this bookEPUB version of this book
Pain is defined as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.” The gate control theory of pain, described in…
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