Carboprost Tromethamine (Hemabate) is a synthetic 15-methyl-prostagladin F2 alpha (PGF2α) analog used primarily for postpartum hemorrhage related to uterine atony refractory to oxytocin administration. In my current practice, parturients with significant cardiovascular comorbidities (e.g., severe pulmonary hypertension, critical valvulopathies, cardiomyopathy, etc.) will have a primary obstetric anesthesiologist and a consulting…
Oxytocin (Pitocin) is a neuropeptide hormone synthesized in the hypothalamus and stored in the posterior pituitary gland. Its biological function spans everything from “milk letdown” in lactation and uterine contraction during the latter stages of labor to enhancing trust/attachment between individuals and a role in sexual arousal.
After completing my call shift this morning, I’m officially finished with obstetric anesthesiology as a resident. I might never do a lumbar labor epidural ever again. :shock:
Epidurals are routinely used to provide analgesia during the labor process. Many women swear by them and will request for an epidural even before they are committed to labor by the obstetrician. Others try to tough it out without any pain medications. In the interim, their discomfort with contractions and labor…
I’m tired… like really tired. I’ve been working over two weeks without a true day off. I’ve got one more call shift beginning this afternoon before I’m officially done with obstetric anesthesia as a CA-2. More importantly – three days off! :-D
I finished my CA-2 rotation in neuroanesthesia last week and am back on the labor and delivery (L&D) wing providing parturients with labor analgesia (epidurals, spinals, combined spinal-epidurals). This time, I’m a more senior resident and helping coordinate the overall work flow among the junior residents. Fortunately every single one…
Tomorrow is my last day of obstetric anesthesiology and also my last day as a second year anesthesiology resident (CA-1). Over the last two months, I’ve done a ton of epidurals, spinals, and combined spinal-epidural anesthetics to help provide labor analgesia and surgical anesthesia for my patients. There’s nothing more gratifying than…
Its become very evident that obstetric anesthesiology is an entirely different animal compared to my other rotations. I haven’t intubated anyone in three weeks. All my patients are relatively young, pregnant women. I haven’t even seen a vial of propofol in a week! For various reasons, the preferred means of anesthesia for parturients remains…
Today marks my first true day of my two month obstetric anesthesia rotation, and what a way to kick it off – weekend call! I’ll have roughly 60 days to master the art of neuraxial anesthetics (epidurals, spinals, and combined spinal-epidurals), maternal and fetal physiology, obstetric emergencies, medications (methergine, hemabate,…
Around 3:45pm yesterday afternoon, I officially finished my OB/Gyn rotation. I felt very prepared after having read Case Files, uWise, Boards & Wards, and supplementing BluePrints for additional clarification, but like all shelf exams, I narrowed down a bunch of questions to two choices. Bleh, hopefully I managed to do…