A novel airway checklist for obstetric general anaesthesia.

was not indicated in this case; this was confirmed after discussion with our neurosurgical colleagues. Although pulsatile bleeding is usually associated with arterial puncture, in the clinical situation of pregnancy and labour in particular, raised intra-abdominal pressure can cause increased venous pressure within the valveless venous plexus of Bateson potentially producing significant haemorrhage. Anaesthetists should be reminded of the potential for damage to these vascular structures, especially in the obstetric patient. Thankfully, it would seem that cases such as ours are rare.