International journal of obstetric anesthesia
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Apr 2013
Case ReportsThrombolysis for the management of massive pulmonary embolism in pregnancy.
Massive pulmonary embolism in pregnancy is a major cause of maternal mortality; the management is challenging, and often requires aggressive therapy. Thrombolysis has been used, often with favorable outcome, but has not been previously reported in a patient presenting with an intrauterine death. We present a 29-year-old nulliparous patient who had a massive pulmonary embolus associated with fetal death in the third trimester of pregnancy. Diagnosis of pulmonary embolus was aided by transthoracic echocardiography and the patient was successfully treated with streptokinase.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Apr 2013
Does body mass index influence the degree of pelvic tilt produced by a Crawford wedge?
A pelvic tilt of 15° is standard practice when positioning a woman for caesarean section, and is commonly produced by tilting the operating table or placing a wedge under the right hip. This study investigated whether body mass index affects the degree of pelvic tilt produced when a wedge is used. ⋯ Variability in pelvic tilt increased with body mass index and was greatest with a booking body mass index >35kg/m(2).
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Apr 2013
Case ReportsAn ex utero intrapartum treatment procedure in a patient with a family history of malignant hyperthermia.
In the EXIT (ex utero intrapartum treatment) procedure, after uterine incision, uterine relaxation is maintained to prevent placental separation and the fetus is supported via the placenta until the airway is successfully established. The traditional method to maintain uterine relaxation is with the use of high-dose potent inhaled anesthetics during general anesthesia. ⋯ The history of malignant hyperthermia precluded the use of potent inhaled anesthetics and an alternate plan using propofol and remifentanil infusions for anesthesia and nitroglycerin 16 μg/kg/min for uterine relaxation allowed for good surgical conditions. The presence of malignant hyperthermia required an alternate plan and close collaboration in order to ensure good patient outcome.