ABSTRACT
Maternal collapse and cardiopulmonary resuscitation is fortunately rare and many maternity care providers have minimal experience. In one study, only 15% of maternity care providers would have passed Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and many are unfamiliar with modifications of ACLS recommended during pregnancy. Resuscitation in pregnant women is unique because there are two patients, the pregnant woman and her fetus. One of the key components of preparing for cardiopulmonary resuscitation during pregnancy is identifying women at risk for collapse based on risk factors and using the risk assessment of tools for timely recognition of life-threatening conditions. The emergency response system activating maternal and neonatal code teams should be initiated at the time of arrest. The time of arrest should be recorded since this helps to determine when a perimortem cesarean delivery (PMCD) should be performed.
