Management of medical emergencies in pregnancy

Abstract

Medical emergencies in pregnant women pose many challenges if both the baby and mother are to have an optimal outcome. Multidisciplinary team working is essential to ensure that the correct treatment is offered, and that potentially life-saving options are not discarded because of unwarranted concerns about safety in pregnancy. Expertise should be sought from doctors with a special interest in obstetric medicine. Clinical problems include those unique to pregnancy such as eclampsia or acute fatty liver of pregnancy, exacerbations of chronic medical diseases some of which can be predicted such as pulmonary hypertension, or conditions which have an increased frequency in pregnancy including thromboembolism, urinary tract infection and Bell's palsy. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in pregnancy should be managed in the left lateral position, with early recourse to delivery of the fetus.