The Need for Maternal Critical Care Education, Point-of-Care Ultrasound and Critical Care Echocardiography in Obstetric Anesthesiologists Training

Abstract

(Int J Obstet Anesth 2023;55:103880/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijoa.2023.103880/0208-5216/) The rise in complex obstetric cases is a global phenomenon. In high-income countries, medical issues, particularly cardiovascular conditions, contribute to maternal morbidity and mortality, challenging traditional educational and clinical approaches. Obstetric critical care principles warrant standardized education, including ultrasound applications like POCUS for real-time assessment of cardiac, pulmonary, airway, and gastric parameters. Despite the increasing need for maternal critical care, formal certification programs are lacking globally. The United States and the UK lack specific educational standards for maternal critical care in anesthesiology.