International journal of obstetric anesthesia
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Int J Obstet Anesth · May 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialUse of high-resolution thermography as a validation measure to confirm epidural anesthesia in mice: a cross-over study.
Effective epidural anesthesia is confirmed in humans by sensory assessments but these tests are not feasible in mice. We hypothesized that, in mice, infrared thermography would demonstrate selective segmental warming of lower extremities following epidural anesthesia. ⋯ Thermography is a useful tool to confirm epidural catheter placement in animals for which subjective, non-noxious, sensory measures are impossible.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · May 2021
Association of uterine activity and maternal volatile anesthetic exposure during open fetal surgery for spina bifida: a retrospective analysis.
Recent warnings postulate a possible damaging effect of volatile anesthetics on the fetus. In our archive of fetal surgeries, we found wide variation in dosing of volatile anesthetics during spina bifida surgeries. We hypothesized that there was an association between volatile anesthetic exposure and uterine activity. ⋯ We found that a lower intra-operative volatile anesthetic exposure than recommended in the MOMS-trial (i.e. <2.0 minimum alveolar concentration [MAC]) was not associated with an increase in intra-operative uterine activity. This is an indication that during spina bifida surgery, 2.0 MAC may not be necessary to avoid potentially harmful uterine activity.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · May 2021
Are we listening? Obstetric anesthesiology and the national call for birth justice and accountability: a perspective from the United States.
Despite declining rates of pregnancy-related deaths worldwide, the United States (US) has seen an increase in maternal mortality. It is widely known that this increased risk of mortality impacts unevenly Black people, who are three-fold more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white people. ⋯ On July 25, 2020, activists for reproductive justice and birth justice published an open call in the New York Times entitled "How many Black, Brown, and Indigenous people have to die giving birth? National call for birth justice and accountability." It is a powerful statement that uses an intersectional framework to understand reproductive inequities, while making demands for positive healthcare reforms and radically dreaming of a reality where the struggle for reproductive justice has been actualized. Using personal narrative, this paper reflects on the field of obstetric anesthesiology and how clinicians can make meaningful change to address and eventually help solve this health care inequity.