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Basic life support and Advanced life support in obstetrics (BLSO and ALSO) have been designed to improve the management of normal delivery as well as obstetric emergencies by following set protocols for each scenario. Similar to providing emergency support during any non-pregnant adult emergency issue, here, at gynec hospital in Mysore, we deal with emergencies that we encounter during pregnancy and delivery.
It is a target-based approach that trains emergency personnel, first-hand responders, physician assistants, and maternity care providers. This program primarily supports the first-hand respondents who examine the patients for the first time and encounter such critical patients in obstetrics. It helps in managing these patients. In addition, knowledge and confidence gained can be reciprocated and help respond effectively when everyday and emergency pre-hospital obstetric care needs arise.
Many are unaware that obstetric resuscitation differs from non-pregnant adult resuscitation due to the patient's changing body posture, the blood volume variation during pregnancy, and the mere presence of the baby. Here, we need to deal with both the mother and baby simultaneously and try to do justice to both mother and fetus. Also, simple normal delivery can go wrong unexpectedly. For example, a postpartum haemorrhage, difficulty in delivery of the baby's shoulder, wrong interpretation of the fetal heart tracing (medically called cardiotocography), hypertensive emergencies in pregnancy, seizures, eclampsia, unexpected breech delivery, resuscitation of the newborn, labour dystocia (abnormal labour progress), maternal resuscitation and trauma, and many more are learned until perfection.
Need for BLSO and ALSO
These programs are owned and operated by the AAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians). It is a well-structured, standardised approach that employs evidence-based practices, even in situations involving obstetric crises. These programs teach us how to deal with these kinds of emergency scenarios and what tasks need to be delegated right away when an emergency happens, which will help us strengthen our collaboration and team approach as well.
In emergencies, we do not get time or are not supposed to spend time selecting who will perform which tasks. Hence, it is crucial to train everyone on the procedures or measures they must follow in such emergency instances. These factors are crucial, especially when we are transferring these patients from a pre-hospital to a hospital setting. Additionally, it is crucial to have strong communication skills when transferring these patients to a higher centre or area of the hospital to inform them about the present health condition of the patient, which medications have been provided till now, and also what the future task has to be done in a medical context is communicated well.
By developing these kinds of skills, we at Manipal Hospitals, the best gynecologic oncologist in Mysore increase our level of comfort in handling similar circumstances and assisting patients in overcoming this kind of criticality.
