Anaesthesia-related maternal mortality.

ABSTRACT

Complications of anaesthesia leading to death in young pregnant women might be prevented if more experienced personnel could be entrusted with the job. The contribution of anaesthesia to maternal mortality in the United Kingdom is 1.7 per million pregnancies with almost similar incidence from United States. The commonest single factor responsible for anaesthesia-related death is difficult or failed intubation. A pregnant woman with a potentially difficult airway should receive aspiration prophylaxis (mechanical or pharmacological) as soon as operative delivery is anticipated. Anaesthetists should make a plan that comes into effect as soon as failure to view the larynx or to intubate the trachea becomes evident. Unsuspected difficult airway can be managed if the skill of the anaesthetists is of high standard. Pulmonary aspiration is one cause of death in obstetric anaesthesia. Regurgitation and vomiting prevention can minimise pulmonary aspiration. In regional anaesthesia, local anaesthetics toxicity is another cause of concern. This should be tackled with some safe local anaesthetics. Preventing a high spinal or epidural block involves ways to detect inadvertent injection of local anaesthetic into the cerebrospinal fluid. Postoperative care after anaesthesia in obstetric cases is very important.