Anesthetic considerations for a parturient with pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is defined as persistent rise in mean pulmonary artery pressure of 25 mmHg or more with pulmonary occlusion pressure <15 mmHg. Most of the symptoms encountered in pulmonary hypertension overlap with that of normal pregnancy such as shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue, chest pain, syncope, and abdominal discomfort. Pulmonary hypertension in pregnant patients carries high mortality rates between 30% and 56% and is also the important cause of increased perioperative morbidity and mortality. Basic principles of management include maintaining right ventricular function and reducing pulmonary vascular resistance. Preoperative risk assessment and successful management of patients with pulmonary hypertension undergoing surgery are crucial and important and involve an understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, analysis of preoperative and operative risk factors, thorough multidisciplinary planning, meticulous intraoperative management, and early recognition and treatment of postoperative complications. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases with the following key words: pulmonary hypertension, anesthesia concerns, and parturient female for literature search.