After briefly expounding the principles of an audit, this article focusses on the role of obstetric audit and how it can influence, and even shape, obstetric anaesthetic practice. The impact…
1. (a) F (b) T (c) F (d) F (e) F The ASRA (American society of regional anesthesia) suggests that 12 hours should have elapsed before an epidural is sited…
Cardiopulmonary arrest occurs in 1: 30 000 pregnancies. Although rare, optimal outcomes are dependent on the cause of the arrest, the rapid response team’s understanding of the physiological effects of…
1. Regarding regional anaesthesia the following is/are true? a. It is safe to site an epidural block after a prophylactic dose of low molecular heparin (LMWH) after 6 h b….
Close co-operation between obstetricians and obstetric anaesthesia providers is crucial for the safety and comfort of parturients, particularly in low-resource environments. Maternal and foetal mortality is unacceptably high, and the…
Serious and permanent neurologic complications in the obstetric population are rare. Most neurologic complications following childbirth are intrinsic obstetric palsies. The most common intrinsic obstetric palsy is lateral femoral neuropathy….
Every minute of every day, a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth. The biggest killer is obstetric haemorrhage, the successful treatment of which is a challenge for both the developed…
The coagulation system undergoes significant change during pregnancy. The clinician caring for the parturient must understand these changes, particularly when the parturient has a pre-existing haematological condition. Because many haematological…
Magnesium is a critical physiological ion, and magnesium deficiency might contribute to the development of pre-eclampsia, to impaired neonatal development and to metabolic problems extending into adult life. Pharmacologically, magnesium…
The number of women with serious (non-obstetric) systemic diseases achieving pregnancy and requiring obstetric anaesthetic management is increasing. The conditions that are most likely to cause maternal morbidity and mortality…
