Obstetric Anaesthesia For Developing Countries

Anaesthesia services in developing countries are often limited due to a shortage of basic facilities, equipment and drugs, as well as a lack of personnel and proper training. Anaesthesia services for obstetric procedures pose a particular problem in developing countries, where high rates of anaesthesia-related complications and fetal/maternal mortality are seen in connection with otherwise common procedures such as caesarean section. This concise and practical pocketbook covers the basic principles of obstetric anaesthesia with a special emphasis on the unique challenges of service delivery in the developing world. The book will be useful for a range of practitioners in developing countries including anaesthetists, trainees, nurse anaesthetists, and district hospital doctors.

This textbook provides an up-to-date summary of the scientific basis, assessment for and provision of anaesthesia throughout pregnancy and labour. It is divided into nine sections including physiology, assessment, complications and systemic disease.

Featuring the work of more than 80 internationally respected contributors from around the world, this reference comprehensively explores all of the issues and techniques that pertain to the practice of obstetric anesthesia. In addition to anesthesia for labor and delivery, it also addresses operative anesthesia, obstetric and anesthetic complications, and systemic disease during pregnancy. A disease-oriented approach guides readers step by step through preoperative evaluation, intraoperative management, and postpartum care for both healthy and high-risk patients.

An invaluable reference for those working in obstetric anaesthesia, as well as an essential resource for those preparing for postgraduate exams in anaesthesia, the Oxford Specialist Handbook of Anaesthesia, second edition provides incisive coverage of all aspects of the sub-specialty and concise instructions for both antenatal and postnatal care.

Regional Analgesia in Obstetrics provides an account of the developments in the provision of regional analgesia and anaesthesia in obstetrics over the last decade. The book covers the attitudes to obstetric analgesia in different countries; the indications for regional analgesia in labour; the effects of regional analgesia on outcome; and operative delivery.

The fourth edition of this highly successful textbook discusses the practical applications of the various methods of regional anaesthesia, including ultrasound, as well as giving an account of their theoretical aspects. The well-established author team use their experience to provide a practical and stimulating book which reflects everyday clinical activity, supplemented by high definition ultrasound images and schematic diagrams. The book will also discuss the place of regional anaesthesia in current medical practice, particularly with regard to pain processes, ultrasound imaging, and patient outcomes. Regional anaesthesia is a rapidly expanding sub-speciality of anaesthesia: routine provision of long-lasting pain relief and the introduction of real-time ultrasound block has fuelled a demand for cadaver and ultrasound-based anatomy training courses. Thus, it is more important than ever to have a thorough grounding in this exciting subspecialty.

This is the first text to systematically review the evidence for obstetric anesthesia and analgesia. Evidence-based practice is now being embraced worldwide as a requirement for all clinicians; in the everyday use of anesthesia and analgesia for childbirth, anesthetists will find this synthesis of the best evidence an invaluable resource to inform their practice. Contributions from anesthetic specialists trained in the skills of systematic reviewing provide a comprehensive and practical guide to best practice in normal and caesarean section childbirth. This book, coming from one of the world’s leading obstetric centers and the cradle of evidence-based medicine, is a much needed addition to the obstetric anesthesia literature.

From early conception until the postpartum period, anaesthetists are required to provide pregnant women with the highest standard of anaesthetic care and pain relief whilst negotiating challenges such as concurrent systemic disease, infertility, and obesity as well as practising in accordance with new developments in fetal medicine surgery, pharmacology, and imaging. The Oxford Textbook of Obstetric Anaesthesia provides an up-to-date summary of the scientific basis, assessment for and provision of anaesthesia throughout pregnancy and labour. This highly authoritative textbook is conceptually divided into nine sections, detailing maternal and fetal physiology, fetal and neonatal assessment and therapy, anaesthesia before and during pregnancy, labour and vaginal delivery, anaesthesia for caesarean delivery, anaesthetic and obstetric complications, as well as systemic disease. Individual chapters address topics such as simulation and ultrasound. Authored by an international team of expert anaesthetists this textbook reflects current world-wide practice and guidelines. Designed for consultants and trainees in anaesthesia, the Oxford Textbook of Obstetric Anaesthesia is the definitive source of expert knowledge for anaesthetists in this subspecialty.