The current article covers some of the major themes that emerged in 2009 in the fields of obstetric anesthesiology, obstetrics, and perinatology, with a special emphasis on the implications for the obstetric anesthesiologist.

We investigate the effect of immigration on the labor supply of skilled women, using data on Spain’s large recent immigration wave. We adopt a spatial correlations approach and instrument for current immigration using ethnic networks. We find that female immigration increases the local availability of household services and reduces their price. It also increases the labor supply of skilled nati...

BACKGROUND Increasing institutional births rates and improving access to comprehensive emergency obstetric care are central strategies for reducing maternal and neonatal deaths globally. While some studies show women consider service availability when determining where to deliver, the dynamics of how and why institutional birth rates change as comprehensive emergency obstetric care availability...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether obstetric team training in a medical simulation centre improves the team performance and utilisation of appropriate medical technical skills of healthcare professionals. DESIGN Cluster randomised controlled trial. SETTING The Netherlands. SAMPLE The obstetric departments of 24 Dutch hospitals. METHODS The obstetric departments were randomly assigned to a 1...

INTRODUCTION We evaluated the quality of basic obstetric care provided by Mexican general physicians, obstetric nurses, and professional midwives compared with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for evidence-based practices and national guidelines. METHODS Vaginal births were observed in 5 hospitals in 5 states from June 2006 until July 2007. We created 5 indices based on WHO guidelin...

The obstetric urogenital fi stula has caused women misery ever since they fi rst started delivering children. It was once common worldwide, but with the advent of safe obstetric care during the early part of the last century, the condition has become rare in rich countries. Urogenital fi stulae do still occur in developed countries, but unlike in the developing world, they are usually a complic...

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a medical as well as obstetric challenge, which needs person-centered management. The timing of delivery of women with GDM is discussed by various obstetric professional bodies. We highlight pertinent medical, obstetric, and psychosocial factors which may influence the timing of delivery in women with GDM. This commentary proposes a person-centered approac...

BACKGROUND The authors used the American Society of Anesthesiologists Closed Claims Project database to identify specific patterns of injury and legal liability associated with regional anesthesia. Because obstetrics represents a unique subset of patients, claims with neuraxial blockade were divided into obstetric and nonobstetric groups for comparison. METHODS The American Society of Anesthe...

AIM The effect of prenatal mental health on the risk of obstetric interventions is unclear. The present study examined the associations between depressive and anxiety symptoms in the second and third trimesters and mode of delivery, epidural use and labor induction in a large community-based pregnancy cohort, in Alberta, Canada. MATERIAL AND METHODS Women who had singleton pregnancies, delive...

BACKGROUND Obstetric fistulae with Urinary incontinence are one of the most distressing maternal morbidities. It is associated with physical and social deprivation such as wife abandonment and violent reactions against the victims particularly in the developing countries of the world. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To study the demographic and reproductive profiles as well as management of patients with...