ABSTRACT

As the majority of the estimated 358,000 pregnancy-related and 5 million neonatal birth asphyxia deaths occur in low-to middle-income countries (LMICs), those who work in these settings will require a basic knowledge of emergency obstetric care.1 As many of these deaths are preventable by appropriate and timely medical and surgical interventions, this chapter provides practical insights for clinicians who might be confronted with such issues. This chapter is organized by pregnancy period for ease of reference and describes the most essential medical problems encountered in pregnancy. It is by no means a complete reference guide for obstetrics. Aside from using this text, we encourage all clinicians to familiarize themselves with any guidelines that are locally available. For more detailed information, we recommend referring to Primary Surgery, edited by Maurice King, which has excellent chapters on obstetrics in remote settings.2 Also, Integrated Management of Pregnancy and Childbirth, published by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a useful reference for specific detailed information.3