[Anesthetic aspects of the problem of morbid obesity in pregnancy]

Abstract

The prevalence of morbid obesity has been grown at a very heart rate in developed countries during the last decades. Over-weight pregnant women make up a group of risk of such serious complications as gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, increased frequency of Cesarean sections, and uterine inertia. Morbid obesity creates problems in anesthetic support. Obesity is associated with many physiological changes that compromise the adaptive ability in pregnant and delivering women. This review describes clinical and functional peculiarities of pregnancy, labor, and perioperative period in women with morbid obesity. Main physiological changes in these patients are described. Clinical aspects of the problem of practical significance for obstetricians/anesthetists are discussed.