Hadzic's Regional Anesthesia > Part VI. Regional Anesthesia for Obstetric & Gynecologic Surgery > Chapter 53. Obstetric Regional Anesthesia Philippe Gautier, MD, Edward Jew, MD, Bonnie Deschner, MD, Alan C. Santos, MD

Obstetric Regional Anesthesia: Introduction

"Most women experience moderate to severe pain during labor and delivery, often requiring some form of pharmacologic analgesia.¹ The lack of proper psychological preparation combined with fear and anxiety can greatly enhance the patient's sensitivity to pain and further add to the discomfort during labor and delivery. However, skillfully conducted obstetric analgesia, in addition to relieving pain and anxiety, may benefit the mother in many other ways. This chapter focuses on management of an obstetric patient with primary focus on regional anesthesia techniques.Pregnancy results in significant changes affecting most maternal organ systems (Table 53–1). These changes are initiated by hormones secreted by the corpus luteum and the placenta. Such changes have important implications for the anesthesiologist caring for the pregnant patient. This chapter reviews the most relevant physiologic changes of pregnancy and discusses the approach to obstetric management using regional anesthesia...."