RT Book, Section A1 Gallant, Catherine A2 Posner, Glenn D. A2 Black, Amanda Y. A2 Jones, Griffith A2 El-Chaâr, Darine SR Print(0) ID 1193314899 T1 Obstetric Anesthesia and Analgesia T2 Oxorn-Foote Human Labor & Birth, 7e YR 2022 FD 2022 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781260019414 LK obgyn.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1193314899 RD 2024/10/09 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.