TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Obstetric Anesthesia and Analgesia A1 - Gallant, Catherine A2 - Posner, Glenn D. A2 - Black, Amanda Y. A2 - Jones, Griffith A2 - El-Chaâr, Darine PY - 2022 T2 - Oxorn-Foote Human Labor & Birth, 7e AB - The practice of obstetric anesthesia began in 1847 when Sir James Young Simpson introduced ether, or “twilight sleep,” into obstetric practice for the final stages of labor and delivery. Today obstetric anesthesia has evolved into a complex subspecialty. Although the majority of deliveries are uncomplicated, parturients are presenting with increasingly complex comorbidities because of medical and surgical advances in the treatment of their underlying conditions. For any hospital providing obstetrical care, the availability of qualified personnel and equipment to provide general or neuraxial anesthesia is essential for good obstetric care. Modern regional anesthetic techniques have contributed to maternal and neonatal safety. Persons administering or supervising obstetric anesthesia must be qualified to manage the rare but potentially life-threatening complications of neuraxial anesthesia, which include respiratory failure and cardiovascular collapse, local anesthetic toxicity including seizures, or vomiting and aspiration. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/19 UR - obgyn.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1193314899 ER -