TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 49. What Is Unique About the Obstetrical Airway? A1 - Ross, Brian K. A1 - McKeen, Dolores M. A2 - Hung, Orlando A2 - Murphy, Michael F. Y1 - 2012 N1 - T2 - Management of the Difficult and Failed Airway, 2e AB - The ability to maintain a patent airway, provide adequate ventilation, and place an endotracheal tube remains a major concern for airway practitioners. There is no location that produces more anxiety in this regard than labor and delivery. Obstetrical anesthesia is a high-risk practice that is replete with medicolegal liability and laden with clinical challenges. On the obstetric service, the practitioner is required to provide safe anesthesia care to two patients, mother and baby, both of whom have unique and demanding anatomical and physiological requirements. The purpose of this chapter is to briefly review the status of maternal morbidity/mortality, highlight the principal reasons that airways of parturients might be difficult to manage, and propose an algorithm for the management of the obstetrical airway. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessanesthesiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=55872373 ER -