International journal of obstetric anesthesia
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Int J Obstet Anesth · May 2024
ReviewA narrative review of the literature relevant to obstetric anesthesiologists: the 2023 Gerard W. Ostheimer lecture.
This narrative review of the 2023 Gerard W. Ostheimer lecture presented at the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology 2023 annual meeting summarizes 2022 literature relevant to obstetric anesthesiologists. ⋯ A core outcome set may help evaluate enhanced recovery protocol implementation. History of migraine and accidental dural puncture (ADP) above the L3 level are associated with epidural blood patch (EBP) failure and ADP at or below L3 and >48 h interval between ADP and EBP are associated with success.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · May 2024
Observational StudyAssociation of free maternal and fetal ropivacaine after epidural analgesia for intrapartum caesarean delivery: a prospective observational trial.
Ropivacaine is present in plasma in both protein-bound and free forms. The free form is responsible for the occurrence of toxic side effects. During obstetric epidural analgesia, free ropivacaine enters the fetal circulation depending on various factors. The aim of this study was to analyse a potential association between ropivacaine concentrations in maternal and fetal plasma and hence the extent of fetal exposure to ropivacaine. ⋯ The results of the present study suggest that determining the concentration of free ropivacaine in maternal blood may be a feasible option for estimating neonatal exposure to ropivacaine.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · May 2024
A retrospective cohort study of the anesthetic management of postpartum tubal ligation.
Neuraxial anesthesia with reactivation of a labor epidural catheter is commonly utilized for postpartum tubal ligations (PPTL), although the optimal anesthetic approach is unknown. We assessed institutional anesthesia practices for PPTL, and evaluated the failure rates of reactivation of labor epidural catheters, de novo spinal anesthesia, and spinal anesthesia after failed blocks. ⋯ Our analysis revealed an unexpectedly high neuraxial anesthesia failure rate even when de novo spinal anesthesia was used for PPTL. The results are consistent with other institutions' recent findings, and are higher than spinal anesthesia failure rates associated with cesarean delivery. Further studies are required to determine optimal anesthesia dosing strategies, and to understand the mechanisms behind high neuraxial anesthesia failures for PPTL.