The need for an epidural "window of opportunity" in pregnant women with a lumbar tattoo.

Pregnant women with lower back tattoos who wish to have an epidural placed during labour pose a dilemma to anesthesiologists. Clear guidelines have not been established. We reviewed the epidural risks in pregnant women with low back tattoos and have suggested precautionary measures to minimise them.

Dimensions of the fetal facial profile in normal pregnancy.

Objective: To determine sonographic dimensions of the fetal facial profile in normal pregnancy.

Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study of 397 normal healthy fetuses at 14-33 weeks of gestation. After exclusion of the small numbers of patients at the upper GAs, 379 patients between 14.

Early-onset group B Streptococcus sepsis in high risk neonates born after prolonged rupture of membranes.

Background: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidelines, prolonged rupture of membranes mandates intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis for group B Streptococcus whenever maternal GBS status is unknown.

Preoperative analgesia with local lidocaine infiltration for abdominal hysterectomy pain management.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of preemptive local analgesia at the incision site in reducing pain in women undergoing abdominal hysterectomy for a benign myomatous uterus.

Study Design: In this prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, 20 mL of 1% lidocaine or 0.9% saline was injected at the abdominal incision site prior to the performance of the hysterectomy.