Critical Care Obstetrics.

Critical Care Obstetrics This book has many contributors, most of whom are physicians, and it is directed to the physician who is taking care of a patient experiencing an unusual pregnancy. In many instances, the information presented is very technical, but it would be of use to the physical therapist who has a specific question. There is a summary at the end of each chapter, along with an extensive bibliography.

The Authors discuss management of the patient who is pregnant and has cardiac disease, pulmonary embolus, sickle cell crisis, obstetric hemorrhage, preeclampsia, septic shock, hyperthyroidism, diabetic ketoacidosis, systemic lupus erythematosis, or acute fatty liver of pregnancy. An interesting chapter devoted to the effects of trauma in pregnancy answers some of the questions that routinely arise in childbirth education classes. The authors cover fetal considerations involved in the care of the patient who is pregnant and critically ill and the effects that some of the drugs used in critical care have on the fetus (when these effects are known).

This book would be of interest to the therapist managing a woman who is pregnant and suffering from any of the conditions mentioned above.