COVID-19: Considerations for obstetric anesthesia and analgesia

Abstract

Peripartum services are indispensable notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing safe and quality obstetric anesthesia is quite demanding as most signs and symptoms of COVID-19 are non-specific and overlap with the constitutional signs of pregnancy. Overloaded viral testing facilities, urgency of caesarean delivery, limited resources, capricious evidence-base, and potential exposure risk to healthcare providers further add to the challenge imposed by COVID-19. In this discourse we attempt to provide a summary of the current evidence and recommendations concerning the practice of obstetric anesthesia and analgesia.

Keywords

• analgesia
• covid-19
• obstetric anesthesia
• sars-co-v2