Controversies in obstetric anaesthesia

Lumbar epidural analgesia remains the best method of relieving labour pain and it can be quickly converted to anaesthesia for operative delivery if the need arises.Epidural analgesia is safe when care is taken to prevent complications.All health care professionals looking after women in labour should know about the potential problems associated with invasive analgesic methods and be trained to recognize and deal with these, preferably before anything serious happens. It is our responsibility as anaesthetists to provide this training. It is also our responsibility to inform our patients of the advantages as well as the potential hazards of obstetric analgesia in such a way that we do not alarm them unneccessarily, but give them a truly informed choice. This is best done before the woman is in labour; an information pamphlet is often used for this purpose. Obstetric anaesthesia is an exciting and evolving specialty. I hope to see the anaesthetist truly becoming a team member in obstetric care in all our hospitals.