The complex healthcare needs of pregnant patients, where care is tailored to not one but two patients, pose specific challenges to anesthesiologists. This book provides concise, case-based discussion on the clinical scenarios and challenges faced in the provision of anesthesia and pain relief for expectant mothers. In the style of problem-based learning, each case is presented as a short scenario, followed by discussion of the causes, risk factors, management and controversies involved. The textbook features a wide range of cases, from common clinical scenarios that are experienced in day-to-day practice to the rare but significant pathologies less familiar to most clinicians. With a global base of contributors, the book is relevant to practice across the world. The concise format supports both trainee anesthesiologists in their initial experiences of obstetrics and exam preparation, and experienced clinicians in need of a reliable, quick-reference text.

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.