Open AccessPhysiological and anatomical changes of pregnancy: Implications for anaesthesia
Author(s) -
Pradeep Bhatia,
Swati Chhabra
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
indian journal of anaesthesia/indian journal of anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.645
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 0976-2817
pISSN - 0019-5049
DOI - 10.4103/ija.ija_458_18
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , childbirth , obstetrics , anesthesia , local anaesthetic , intensive care medicine , genetics , biology
During pregnancy, the body goes through various anatomical and physiological changes to provide suitable environment for foetal development, to cater to the increased metabolic demands and to prepare for the childbirth. These changes have notable anaesthetic implications in determining the optimal anaesthetic technique, while also keeping in mind the gestational age, type of procedure and any coexisting medical condition. It is important to note that these changes revert to baseline (pre-pregnancy) levels at different time intervals during the postpartum period which is important while managing postpartum patients. None of the anaesthetic agents are known teratogens; however, there is concern regarding the effects of some agents on the developing brain.