From early conception until the postpartum period, anaesthetists are required to provide pregnant women with the highest standard of anaesthetic care and pain relief whilst negotiating challenges such as concurrent systemic disease, infertility, and obesity as well as practicing in accordance with new developments in fetal medicine surgery, pharmacology, and imaging. The Oxford Textbook of Obstetric Anaesthesia provides an up-to-date summary of the scientific basis, assessment for and provision of anaesthesia throughout pregnancy and labour.

This highly authoritative textbook is conceptually divided into nine sections, detailing maternal and fetal physiology, fetal and neonatal assessment and therapy, anaesthesia before and during pregnancy, labour and vaginal delivery, anaesthesia for caesarean delivery, anaesthetic and obstetric complications, as well as systemic disease. Individual chapters address topics such as simulation and ultrasound.

Authored by an international team of expert anaesthetists this textbook reflects current world-wide practice and guidelines. Designed for consultants and trainees in anaesthesia, the Oxford Textbook of Obstetric Anaesthesia is the definitive source of expert knowledge for anaesthetists in this subspecialty.

About the Author:
Vicki Clark, Clinical Lead in Obstetric Anaesthesia, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, Scotland, Marc Van de Velde, Professor of Anaesthesia, Catholic University Leuven and the Leuven University Hospitals, Roshan Fernando, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), Consultant Anaesthetist, Honorary Senior Lecturer & Obstetric Anaesthesia Research Lead

Dr Vicki Clark was born in Guyana in the West Indies and graduated from Edinburgh University. She did her Anaesthetic training in both Glasgow and Edinburgh and was appointed as a Consultant Anaesthetist with special interest in Obstetric Anaesthesia in the Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health, the largest maternity unit in Scotland. She has been an elected member for two terms on the committee of the Obstetric Anaesthetists' Association. Dr Clark has an interest in teaching and training and has lectured extensively particularly on obstetric haemorrhage and cell salvage. Throughout her career she has served on several committees and charities promoting maternal health and been involved in workshops on obstetric anaesthesia in developing countries.

Dr. Marc Van de Velde graduated from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium in 1991. He completed his residency in Anaesthesiology in 1996 at the University Hospitals of Louvain. In 2000, he received his PhD degree following research related to metabolic support of the stunned myocardium. From November 2010 onwards, he is Head of the Department Anesthesiology at the Catholic University Leuven and Full Professor at the Leuven University Hospitals. He was member of the Committee of the Obstetric Anaesthetists Association from 2003 - 2009 and is currently president of the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy (ESRA). He is chair of the Scientific Committee of the Annual ESRA Meetings in Ljubljana 2015 and Maastricht 2016. He is also Chair of the Scientific Subcommittee on Obstetric Anesthesia of the European Society of Anesthesiology (ESA).

Dr. Fernando graduated from the University College of Wales Medical School, Cardiff, South Wales, UK and completed his advanced anesthesia training at the Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte's Hospitals in London, becoming a consultant anaesthetist in 1994. Since 2008 he has worked for University College London Hospital where he now coordinates mainly clinical research in obstetric anaesthesia. He served as the Honorary Treasurer for the 2,500 member Obstetric Anaesthetists' Association (OAA) for 6 years, chaired its Scientific & Educational Meetings subcommittee for a further 6 years, and became OAA President in May 2014. He has also worked for 6 years as part of the Obstetric Anaesthesia subcommittee of the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) and for 10 years as an examiner for the Royal College of Anaesthetists, finishing his duties in June 2013. He is currently serving a 4-year term on the Council of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & Ireland (AAGBI).