Anaesthesia for Non-Obstetric Surgery During Pregnancy

Author(s): E Dickson and V Clark

Description

Pregnant women regularly present for non-obstetric surgery. This represents a unique challenge to the anaesthetist, as there are at least two recipients of the anaesthetic.

This review will look at the physiological maternal changes in pregnancy and how they relate to the conduct of anaesthesia, the effects of anaesthesia on the fetus and finally the practicalities of administering an anaesthetic to a pregnant patient.