Anaesthesia | Obstetrics | Anaesthesia in Early Pregnancy, and for Incidental Surgery

Anaesthesia in Early Pregnancy, and for Incidental Surgery
Session Overview
Description
This session will describe the common risks to both mother and fetus that require surgery in early pregnancy. It will support the recognition of the potential pitfalls of anaesthetizing women in early pregnancy to ensure the safety of both the mother and developing fetus.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Explain the effects of anaesthesia and surgery on the fetus
• Apply the principles of providing anaesthesia for incidental surgery during ongoing pregnancy, including maternal safety
• Describe how to safely manage the spectrum of presentations for a patient with an ectopic pregnancy
• Recall the principles of providing anaesthesia for evacuation of retained products of conception (ERPC) and termination of pregnancy (TOP)

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should:

• The anatomy, physiology and pharmacology of fetal circulation
• The physiological and anatomical changes in pregnancy
• The specific pharmacology of pregnancy and labour

This session aims to support the recognition of the potential pitfalls of anaesthetizing women in early pregnancy, to ensure the safety of both the mother and developing fetus.

The most recent confidential enquiry into maternal deaths reinforces the message that women still die in early pregnancy, and highlights the need to improve our knowledge and care in this area.