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Postpartum Complications in Obstetric Anesthesia

Pregnancy and the postpartum period are characterized by major physiological changes that can potentially lead to complications. Though the majority of pregnancies are uneventful, complications can occur with regards to anesthesia techniques including regional and general anesthesia, most patients and their newborn babies have excellent outcomes. Regional anesthesia is preferred in the obstetric patient related to a number of factors, including maintaining the ability to push the baby out and airway changes of pregnancy that can increase the risk of complications with general anesthesia. Most postpartum complications are relatively common and transient, such as postpartum back soreness and headache, while rare complications can lead to devastating outcomes. Other potential complications include headache, infection, bleeding, neurologic deficits, embolism, and other rarer events. It is imperative for the anesthesiologists to be vigilant of all these potential postpartum complications in the obstetric practice and to recognize and manage them expediently. This chapter describes some of the most common postpartum complications that the anesthesiologist will encounter and their best management.