Preterm delivery is a major problem throughout the world in terms of perinatal morbidity and mortality and the massive financial burden of caring for very small, sick neonates. Few recent studies in the medical literature have focused on the anesthetic management of preterm labor and delivery. The perinatal literature, however, is replete with studies on the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of preterm labor. It behoves the obstetric anesthesiologist to be aware of medical advances in this area. Specific anesthetic concerns that are pertinent to preterm confinement include the interaction of anesthetic agents with tocolytics, regional anesthesia in a potentially infected parturient, and use of intravenous nitroglycerine for rapid cervico-uterine relaxation to relieve fetal entrapment during delivery.
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