The safety of anaesthetics in pregnant women

Abstract

Each year, a significant number of pregnant women undergo surgery and anaesthesia for indications unrelated to pregnancy. Estimates of the incidence of non-obstetric surgery in pregnancy, which may be required at any gestational age, and for a number of indications, range from 1.0 to 2%. The diagnosis of any medical condition requiring surgery in pregnancy often raises questions about the safety of anaesthesia in these patients. This controversy is primarily attributed to the lay press speculations that surgery and anaesthesia in pregnancy may pose hazards to the mother and fetus. Despite these concerns, the safety of non-obstetric surgery and anaesthesia in pregnancy is well-documented for nearly every operative procedure. The timing and indications for surgery seem critical to the maternal and fetal outcome. Laparoscopy is the most common surgical procedure performed in the first trimester of pregnancy, whereas appendectomy is the most common procedure performed during the remainder of pregnancy.