Said H Soubra1, Kalapalatha K Guntupalli. 1. Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Michael E. Debakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of the critical illnesses that afflict the pregnant patient. DESIGN: A comprehensive review of the literature was performed with Pubmed Medline using medical subject headings of pregnancy, critical care, epidemiology, prognostic score, dyspnea, fever, and jaundice. RESULTS: Although pregnant women constitute a small number of admissions to an intensive care unit, they pose a challenge to the health care team. The physiological changes that occur in pregnancy stress and limit the compensatory response required to adapt to a superimposed acute illness. Although a number of conditions are uniquely associated with pregnancy, other medical conditions may complicate the course of pregnancy. The pregnant state also increases susceptibility to a number of illnesses. In this overview, we reviewed the epidemiology and different clinical presentations of critical illness in a pregnant patient. CONCLUSIONS: The critically ill pregnant patient presents a challenge to the critical care physician due to unique physiology and specific medical disorders in this population.
OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of the critical illnesses that afflict the pregnant patient. DESIGN: A comprehensive review of the literature was performed with Pubmed Medline using medical subject headings of pregnancy, critical care, epidemiology, prognostic score, dyspnea, fever, and jaundice. RESULTS: Although pregnant women constitute a small number of admissions to an intensive care unit, they pose a challenge to the health care team. The physiological changes that occur in pregnancy stress and limit the compensatory response required to adapt to a superimposed acute illness. Although a number of conditions are uniquely associated with pregnancy, other medical conditions may complicate the course of pregnancy. The pregnant state also increases susceptibility to a number of illnesses. In this overview, we reviewed the epidemiology and different clinical presentations of critical illness in a pregnant patient. CONCLUSIONS: The critically ill pregnant patient presents a challenge to the critical care physician due to unique physiology and specific medical disorders in this population.
Authors: Karishma P Ramlakhan; Diederik Gommers; Carmen E R M Jacobs; Khaoula Makouri; Johannes J Duvekot; Irwin K M Reiss; Arie Franx; Jolien W Roos-Hesselink; Jérôme M J Cornette Journal: BMC Womens Health Date: 2021-06-19 Impact factor: 2.809