Perimortem cesarean section

Abstract

Perimortem cesarean section probably represents an underemphasized procedure on the skills list of the emergency physician. Although fraught with emotional and medicolegal overtones, the procedure can yield viable infants in at least 15% of cases and occasionally alters maternal hemodynamics so as to restore the pulse in a clinically dead woman. This article reviews the physiology and hemodynamics of the maternal-fetal unit and discusses prognostic factors for the survival of healthy mother and infant, leading to recommendations for when to perform a perimortem cesarean section. The article then describes the technical aspects of the procedure.