Cardiac Arrest in pregnancy affects around 1: 12-30,000 women in the developed world.

As you’d expect the risk of death for mother and child is extremely high, but some causes of arrest are reversible and we can make a real impact with our care and treatment of these cases.

Now it goes without saying that these are some of the most emotive, complex and technically challenging Resuscitations that you could think to be involved in; by definition young female arrest with unborn babies involved.

Thankfully this is not going to be a case that many of us see, but with the stakes so high and potential to impact on the outcome of two patients, it’s an area that’s worth real consideration, preparation and mental rehearsal in case we are one of the few that may need to deal with it!

In this episode we’re going to run through all the same stuff that you’d expect; pathophysiology of pregnancy, aetiology and the way in which we should approach these arrests. But then we’re lucky enough to be joined by Caroline Leech, an EM and Prehospital doctor who’s an expert in the area having just published a key paper that’s prompted loads of discussion in crew room and online on the topic of maternal arrest and Resuscitative Hysterotomy which will really challenges our perception on survival for both mum and the unborn baby if a RH is indicated.

So we’ll be running through that paper with some really valuable insights from Caroline and wrap up with some questions to her exploring experience from cases, along with potential strategies for how approach and manage these cases for those working both in prehospital and in-hospital settings.

Once again we’d love to hear any thoughts or feedback either on the website or via X @TheResusRoom!

Simon, Rob & James

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