2026 Fundamental Critical Care Support: Obstetrics Conference

Examine how altered physiology can affect the diagnosis and management of critically ill patients

Anticipate and predict the effects of pregnancy on underlying medical conditions 

Identify the most significant complications of preeclampsia

Describe how to manage preeclampsia and its main complications

Recognize early manifestations of sepsis in pregnancy

Outline initial strategies for managing maternal sepsis, including resuscitation and source control

Identify complications of hemorrhage and transfusion therapy  

Describe the key cardiovascular physiologic changes of pregnancy and how they affect pre-existing or new cardiac disease. 

Recognize high-risk cardia conditions and identify clinical signs that require urgent obstetric or cardiology interventions.

Apply evidence-based principles to assess and manage cardiac disease during pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum period.

Outline diagnostic criteria, evaluation, and differential diagnosis for obstetric hemorrhage

Discuss the management of obstetric hemorrhage

Review medications and devices used to stop bleeding in the postpartum period 

Identify complications of hemorrhage and transfusion therapy

Discuss the uses of noninvasive and invasive hemodynamic monitoring, as well as sources of error

Explain point-of care ultrasound measurement used for the assessment of hemodynamically unstable patients

Review laboratory tests that can be used to determine the adequacy of peripheral perfusion

Describe anatomic and physiologic airway changes in the pregnant patient

Describe factors that cause airway challenges in the pregnant patient

Describe methods for airway evaluation

Outline a systematic approach to management of a difficult airway in a pregnant patient

Establish the most useful diagnostic methods that pose the least risk to the fetus

Review management of nonobstetric surgical disease

Recognize the role of multi-professional management in surgical emergencies

Skills Stations:

• Management of Severe Preeclampsia and Eclampsia
• Sepsis
• Postpartum Hemorrhage/Massive Transfusion Protocol
• Delivery and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP)

Demonstrate communication skills including closed loop communication, assign roles
appropriately, handoff and brief new team members as they arrive, team members are empowered
to speak freely and ask questions.

Utilize appropriate processes to response to high risk events.

Recognize a patient in cardiac arrest, excessive blood loss, hemodynamic instability and in
hypertensive crisis.

Recognize early signs and symptoms of maternal sepsis.

• IO Placement
• QBL (trident, Belmont, Lifeflow)
• Postpartum Hemorrhage Cart
• Bakri Balloon
• Jada System

Identify neurologic conditions that place pregnant patients at high risk, including stroke, eclampsia, intracranial hemorrhage and status epilepticus, and recognize early warning signs requiring urgent evaluation.

Describe pregnancy-related physiologic and pharmacologic considerations that impact neurocritical care assessment, imaging, and treatment decisions. 

Apply evidence-based principles to stabilize, monitor, and manage pregnant and postpartum patients with acute neurologic emergencies using a multidisciplinary, maternal-fetal approach. 

Recognize the physiologic changes during pregnancy that can make the diagnosis of thromboembolic disease more challenging

Determine the thromboprophylaxis options available during pregnancy

Select appropriate tests for confirming or ruling out the diagnosis of thromboembolism in high-risk patients

List the differential diagnosis of etiologies for AKI in pregnancy

Review the diagnostic evaluation of AKI in pregnancy 

Examine the physiologic changes of pregnancy that affect resuscitation in pregnancy

Review basic life support and advanced cardiovascular life support recommendations for 
         cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Identify maternal and fetal conditions that require that require transport to a higher level of care and recognize clinical indicators of transport instability.

Describe key physiologic considerations of pregnancy that impact pre-transport assessment, monitoring, and stabilization.

Apply evidence-based principles to safely coordinate and conduct transport of critically ill pregnant patients using multidisciplinary communication and structured protocols. 

• Skill Stations:

• Cardiopulmonary Arrest in Pregnancy
• Mechanical Ventilation
• Hemodynamic Monitoring
• POCUS

Discuss Endotracheal intubation

Accurately interpret real-time hemodynamic data-including blood pressure trends, perfusion i indicators, cardiac output, and volume status-within the context of pregnancy-related physiologic changes

Integrate findings into real-time clinical decision-making and communicate results effectively within a multidisciplinary obstetric critical care team