Anesthesia considerations in the obese gravida

Obesity in Pregnancy: ACOG Practice Bulletin, Number 230

Obstetrician-gynecologists are the leading experts in the health care of women, and obesity is the most common medical condition in women of reproductive age. Obesity in women is such a common condition that the implications relative to pregnancy often are unrecognized, overlooked, or ignored because of the lack of specific evidence-based treatment options. The management of obesity requires long-term approaches ranging from population-based public health and economic initiatives to individual nutritional, behavioral, or surgical interventions. Therefore, an understanding of the management of obesity during pregnancy is essential, and management should begin before pregnancy and continue through the postpartum period. Although the care of the obese woman during pregnancy requires the involvement of the obstetrician or other obstetric care professional, additional health care professionals, such as nutritionists, can offer specific expertise related to management depending on the comfort level of the obstetric care professional. The purpose of this Practice Bulletin is to offer an integrated approach to the management of obesity in women of reproductive age who are planning a pregnancy.

Pregnancy in Women with Obesity

Pregnancy in women with obesity is an important public health problem with short- and long-term implications for maternal and child health. Obesity complicates almost all aspects of pregnancy. Given the growing prevalence of obesity in women, obstetric providers need to understand the risks associated with obesity in pregnancy and the unique aspects of management for women with obesity. Empathic and patient-centered care, along with knowledge, can optimize outcomes for women and children.

Obesity in Pregnancy: Optimizing Outcomes for Mom and Baby

Obesity is common in women of childbearing age, and management of this population around the time of pregnancy involves specific challenges. Weight and medical comorbidities should be optimized both before and during pregnancy. During pregnancy, gestational weight gain should be limited, comorbidities should be appropriately screened for and managed, and fetal health should be monitored. Consideration should be given to the optimal timing of delivery and to reducing surgical and anesthetic complications. In the postpartum period, breastfeeding and weight loss should be promoted. Maternal obesity is associated with adverse metabolic effects in offspring, promoting an intergenerational cycle of obesity.

Attempted and Successful Vacuum-Assisted Vaginal Delivery by Prepregnancy Body Mass Index

OBJECTIVE

To examine rates of attempted and successful vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery by prepregnancy body mass index (BMI).

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 2,084 women with singleton gestations needing operative delivery assistance and vacuum-eligible (fully dilated, +2 station or greater, 34 weeks of gestation or greater) using 2006-2014 inpatient records. Prepregnancy BMI was categorized as underweight (less than 18.5), normal weight (18.5 to less than 25), overweight (25 to less than 30), or obese (30 or greater). Logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of attempted and successful vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery by prepregnancy BMI adjusted for age, race, marital status, parity, diabetes, labor induction-augmentation, episiotomy, gestational age, and neonatal birth weight.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine percent of women requiring delivery assistance and eligible for a vacuum were overweight or obese, 79% had vacuum attempts, and 95.3% of attempted vacuum-assisted vaginal deliveries were successful. Compared with women who were normal weight prepregnancy (82.8%), women who were overweight or obese were less likely to have vacuum attempted (75.8%, OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.53-0.96 and 71.2%, OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.39-0.74, respectively). Among women with attempted vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery, successful delivery did not differ by prepregnancy BMI (92.6%, OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.21-1.37 for underweight; 94.5%, OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.57-2.00 for overweight; 96.3%, OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.51-2.33 for obese compared with 95.6% among normal-weight women).

CONCLUSION

Among women in need of operative delivery assistance, prepregnancy obesity was associated with lower likelihood of attempted vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery but, if attempted, success rates were similar to rates among normal-weight women. With significant morbidity of second-stage cesarean delivery in obese women, research should examine whether vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery may be appropriate for additional obese patients.

Pregnancy risks associated with obesity

Obesity has increased dramatically in the United States over the last several decades, with approximately 40% of pregnant women now considered overweight or obese. Obesity has been shown to be associated with numerous poor pregnancy outcomes, including increased rates of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, fetal macrosomia, stillbirth, postterm pregnancy, and increased rates of cesarean delivery. Many of these complications have been found to increase even further with increasing body mass index in a dose-response fashion. In this review, the association of obesity with maternal, fetal, and pregnancy outcomes is discussed as are the recommendations for caring for the obese gravida.

Super obesity in pregnancy: difficulties in clinical management

As the obesity pandemic continues in the United States, obesity in pregnancy has become an area of interest. Many studies focus on women with body mass index (BMI) ⩾ 30 kg m(-2). Unfortunately, the prevalence of patients with BMI ⩾ 50 kg m(-2) is rapidly increasing, and there are few studies specifically looking at pregnant women in this extreme category. The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the challenges faced and review the literature available to help guide obstetricians who might encounter such patients.

Obesity in pregnancy: a big problem and getting bigger

Obesity has increased dramatically in the United States over the last several decades, with approximately 40% of women now considered overweight or obese. Obesity has been shown to be associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, including increased rates of cesarean delivery, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, fetal macrosomia, stillbirth, and postterm pregnancy. In this review, we discuss the association of obesity with maternal, fetal, and pregnancy outcomes as well as the recommendations for care of the obese gravida.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Obstetricians and gynecologists and family physicians.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing the CME activity, physicians should be better able to describe the maternal, neonatal, and intrapartum complications associated with obesity in pregnancy and implement additional changes to prenatal care appropriate for the obese gravida.