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3.9.1 - Obstetric Emergencies

from Section 3.9 - Obstetrics and Maternal Peripartum Complications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2023

Ned Gilbert-Kawai
Affiliation:
The Royal Liverpool Hospital
Debashish Dutta
Affiliation:
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Harlow
Carl Waldmann
Affiliation:
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
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Summary

Key Learning Points

  1. 1. Critical illness in pregnancy is relatively uncommon; however, it carries a significant amount of morbidity and mortality when it does occur. The majority of patients will be admitted to the intensive care unit in the post-partum period.

  2. 2. Recent advances in the management of common direct obstetric causes of maternal critical illness have improved outcomes. Unfortunately, however, we have not seen similar advances in treating the indirect causes.

  3. 3. Managing this unique cohort of patients is challenging and requires an in-depth knowledge of both maternal physiological adaptations to pregnancy and how these may affect the course of the patient’s illness.

  4. 4. In obstetric emergencies, the main priority must be to resuscitate the mother, which, in turn, will help resuscitate the fetus.

Type
Chapter
Information
Intensive Care Medicine
The Essential Guide
, pp. 307 - 315
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

References and Further Reading

Chu, J, Johnston, TA, Geoghegan, J; Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. 2019. Maternal collapse in pregnancy and the puerperium. Green-top guideline No. 56. obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1471-0528.15995CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, LJ, Mackillop, LH, Salvi, D, et al. Gestation-specific vital sign reference ranges in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2020;135:653–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greer, O, Shah, NM, Johnson, MR. Maternal sepsis update: current management and controversies. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2020;22:4555.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knight, M, Bunch, K, Tuffnell, D, et al.; MBRRACE-UK (eds). Saving lives, improving mothers’ care. Lessons learned to inform maternity care from the UK and Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity 2017–19. Oxford: National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford; 2021. www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/assets/downloads/mbrrace-uk/reports/maternal-report-2021/MBRRACE-UK_Maternal_Report_2021_-_FINAL_-_WEB_VERSION.pdfGoogle Scholar
Knight, M, Bunch, K, Vousden, N, et al.; UK Obstetric Surveillance System SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Pregnancy Collaborative Group. Characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women admitted to hospital with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in UK: national population based cohort study. BMJ 2020;369:m2107.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mushambi, MC, Kinsella, SM, Popat, M, et al. Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Asociation and Difficult Airway Society guidelines for the management of difficult and failed tracheal intubation in obstetrics. Anaesthesia 2015;70:1286–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. 2011. Antepartum haemorrhage. Green-top guideline No. 63. www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/gtg_63.pdfGoogle Scholar
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. 2012. Bacterial sepsis in pregnancy. Green-top guideline No. 64a. www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/gtg_64a.pdfGoogle Scholar
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. 2012. Bacterial sepsis following pregnancy. Green-top guideline No. 64b. www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/gtg_64b.pdfGoogle Scholar
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. 2015. Reducing the risk of venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and puerperium. Green-top guideline No. 37a. www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/gtg-37a.pdfGoogle Scholar
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. 2016. Postpartum haemorrhage, prevention and management. Green-top guideline No. 52. www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/gtg52/Google Scholar

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