Anesthesia and the Fetus

Preface

The care of the fetus as a patient is an emerging field that has evolved on the borders of many traditional specialties: obstetrics, perinatology, neonatology, genetics, pediatrics, pediatric surgery and midwifery. The anesthesiologist is now an important member of this team.

 It is increasingly apparent that anesthetic and related drugs given to the mother any time from the period of embryonic development and fetal growth through to early neonatal life, may affect fetal and neonatal development. Recent evidence is also emerging that anesthetic drugs may have long-term effects on the developing mammalian brain. Additionally, with advances in antenatal diagnosis and minimally-invasive surgery, a growing range of fetal disorders is becoming amenable to surgical intervention, many requiring anesthetic care. Finally, there is an enticing possibility that anesthetic drugs and procedures may themselves contribute to fetal well-being.

 Anesthesia and the Fetus integrates into one volume the multidisciplinary components of:

• fetal development
• fetal pharmacology
• assessments of fetal and neonatal outcome
• anesthesia and analgesia during pregnancy
• anesthesia and analgesia during labor
• ethics and law

 Written by an internationally renowned group of clinicians and scientists, Anesthesia and the Fetus provides a contemporary guide and reference to the role of anesthesia, and the anesthesiologist, in protecting the mother and her unborn child during pregnancy.