Bupivacaine Dosing for Cesarean Delivery in Parturients of Short Stature: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

The ED50 and ED95 of spinal bupivacaine for cesarean delivery has been well described in the literature; however, parturients with extremes of stature have been excluded. Parturients of short stature are a height of ≤ 148 cm. This retrospective, case-control study evaluated anesthetic outcomes for parturients of short stature and controls who underwent cesarean delivery over a 10-year period.

Neuraxial Techniques for Parturients with Thromboprophylaxis or Thrombocytopenia.

Pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis from venous thromboembolism (VTE) and thrombocytopenia in pregnancy results in conditions that may preclude the use of neuraxial anesthesia due to a perceived risk of spinal/epidural hematoma. Spinal epidural hematoma is a recognized complication in patients who are hypocoagulable and may lead patients to undergo general anesthesia for delivery or other procedures, which carries numerous complications in obstetric care. A robust understanding of maternal physiologic changes in coagulation status, review of consensus statements, and safety bundles may help to maximize the use of neuraxial anesthesia in obstetric patients who might otherwise be denied these anesthetic techniques.

Tetralogy of Fallot: stent palliation or neonatal repair?

Surgical repair of Tetralogy of Fallot has excellent outcomes, with over 90% of patients alive at 30 years. The ideal time for surgical repair is between 3 and 11 months of age. However, the symptomatic neonate with Tetralogy of Fallot may require earlier intervention: either a palliative intervention (right ventricular outflow tract stent, ductal stent, balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty, or Blalock-Taussig shunt) followed by a surgical repair later on, or a complete surgical repair in the neonatal period.