39104 - Anesthesia in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module, students will have acquired the knowledge and understanding of the applications of general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, analgesia, and maternal and neonatal resuscitation in obstetric and gynecological care. They will be able to recognize urgent and emergency conditions and provide appropriate first aid within their professional scope of practice.

Course contents

1. General Principles of Anesthesiology

• The role of the anesthesiologist in obstetric and gynecological care.
• Preoperative assessment of the patient.
• Intraoperative and postoperative monitoring.
• Patient safety in anesthesia and clinical risk management.

2. General Anesthesia

• Basic principles of anesthetic pharmacology.
• Indications and contraindications in obstetrics and gynecology.
• Airway management in the pregnant patient.
• Prevention and management of anesthesia-related complications.

3. Regional Anesthesia

• Principles of spinal, epidural, and combined spinal-epidural anesthesia.
• Indications and contraindications.
• Advantages and limitations of the different techniques.
• Maternal and fetal complications.
• The midwife's role in caring for women undergoing regional anesthesia.

4. Labor and Delivery Analgesia

• Physiology of labor pain.
• Pharmacological methods of pain relief:
  • epidural analgesia;
  • systemic analgesia.
• Indications, benefits, limitations, and potential adverse effects.
• Midwifery care during labor analgesia.

5. Anesthetic Management for Cesarean Section

• Patient preparation.
• Anesthetic techniques.
• Intraoperative care.
• Maternal and neonatal monitoring.
• Postoperative management.

6. Obstetric Emergencies and Urgent Conditions

• Obstetric hemorrhage.
• Shock.
• Severe preeclampsia and eclampsia.
• Amniotic fluid embolism.
• Obstetric sepsis.
• Cardiac arrest during pregnancy.
• Principles of multidisciplinary management.

7. Maternal and Neonatal Resuscitation

• Chain of survival.
• Basic Life Support (BLS).
• Modifications to cardiopulmonary resuscitation in pregnancy.
• Principles of neonatal resuscitation.
• The midwife's role within the emergency response team.

8. First Aid in Obstetrics and Gynecology

• Early recognition of urgent and emergency conditions.
• Activation of emergency care pathways.
• First aid interventions within the midwife's scope of practice.
• Effective communication within the multidisciplinary team.

Readings/Bibliography

Teaching materials

Teaching methods

Lectures

Simulation in real clinical settings

Clinical case discussions

Assessment methods

Assessment will be carried out through a multiple-choice examination consisting of 31 questions. Each correct answer is awarded 1 point. Incorrect or unanswered questions receive 0 points.

Teaching tools

teaching materials

simulations

Office hours

See the website of Agnese Lambertini