ABSTRACT
Obstetric anesthesia is a subspecialty with many unique features not found in other areas of anesthetic practice. e altered physiology of pregnancy increases the risk of anesthetic morbidity in otherwise healthy patients. In addition, the obstetric population increasingly includes older and sicker patients, further complicating their anesthetic management. Oen, labor management decisions directly aect anesthesia requirements and vice versa. Each patient’s labor course may suddenly require emergency surgical intervention with accompanying anesthetic considerations. Obstetricians and anesthesiologists must coordinate plans for management in order to facilitate delivery, while minimizing the risk to the mother. It behooves every obstetrician to become aware of the benets, alternatives, and risks of obstetric anesthesia procedures.
