Informed consent in obstetric anesthesia.

Patient consent for obstetric analgesia and anesthesia involves several confounding issues in addition to the basic elements of consent. These include capacity during active labor, maternal-fetal conflict, and the care of pregnant minors. In this review, we focus on these unique consent issues. Despite pain and anxiety, women maintain the capacity to understand and recall information imparted during labor. Anesthesia providers generally disclose high-frequency and high-morbidity side effects and complications. The use of written materials and early antenatal education may improve retention of information and maternal satisfaction. Successful navigation of the consent process requires knowledge of the guidelines and laws that govern each provider's individual jurisdiction.

Cardiac surgery in the parturient.

Heart disease is the primary cause of nonobstetric mortality in pregnancy, occurring in 1%-3% of pregnancies and accounting for 10%-15% of maternal deaths. Congenital heart disease has become more prevalent in women of childbearing age, representing an increasing percentage (up to 75%) of heart disease in pregnancy. Untreated maternal heart disease also places the fetus at risk. Independent predictors of neonatal complications include a maternal New York Heart Association heart failure classification >2, anticoagulation use during pregnancy, smoking, multiple gestation, and left heart obstruction. Because cardiac surgical morbidity and mortality in the parturient is higher than nonpregnant patients, most parturients with cardiac disease are first managed medically, with cardiac surgery being reserved when medical management fails. Risk factors for maternal mortality during cardiac surgery include the use of vasoactive drugs, age, type of surgery, reoperation, and maternal functional class. Risk factors for fetal mortality include maternal age >35 yr, functional class, reoperation, emergency surgery, type of myocardial protection, and anoxic time. Nonetheless, acceptable maternal and fetal perioperative mortality rates may be achieved through such measures as early preoperative detection of maternal cardiovascular decompensation, use of fetal monitoring, delivery of a viable fetus before the operation and scheduling surgery on an elective basis during the second trimester. Additionally, fetal morbidity may be reduced during cardiopulmonary bypass by optimizing maternal oxygen-carrying capacity and uterine blood flow. Current maternal bypass recommendations include: 1) maintaining the pump flow rate >2.5 L x min(-1) x m(-2) and perfusion pressure >70 mm Hg; 2) maintaining the hematocrit > 28%; 3) using normothermic perfusion when feasible; 4) using pulsatile flow; and 5) using alpha-stat pH management.

Horner's syndrome following very low concentration bupivacaine infusion for labor epidural analgesia.

Horner's syndrome is a complication of epidural analgesia and anesthesia, encountered more commonly in pregnant women than in other patients. Previous reports described the appearance of Horner's syndrome following epidural injection of concentrated local anesthetic solutions. We report unilateral Horner's syndrome occurring in the setting of lumbar epidural analgesia for labor with a very low local anesthetic concentration (bupivacaine 0.04%) in an epidural infusion. We discuss the possible factors that could have contributed to this occurrence despite the extremely dilute concentration of local anesthetic used for analgesia.