Management of emergency caesarean section in a patient with decompensated critical aortic stenosis

Abstract

Increasing numbers of congenital heart disease patients are now surviving to child bearing age. This complex patient cohort present a great challenge to the obstetric anaesthetist and multidisciplinary teams. This report describes a rare case of a patient undergoing emergency caesarean section at 31 weeks gestation due to decompensated critical congenital aortic stenosis. The physiological effects of pregnancy in patients with aortic stenosis are discussed along with principles of managing anaesthesia for caesarean section in the presence of this cardiac lesion.

Keywords

• Aortic stenosis
• caesarean section
• congenital heart disease
• decompensation