The induction-delivery time during Cesarean section is traditionally conducted under light anesthesia because of the possibility of anesthesia-induced neonatal respiratory depression. The serious consequences of such an approach could be the increased risk of maternal intraoperative awareness and exaggerated neuroendocrine and cardiovascular stress response to laryngoscopy, endotracheal intubation, and surgical stimuli. Here, we briefly discuss the various pharmacological options for attenuation of stress response to endotracheal intubation during Cesarean delivery and then focus on remifentanil, its pharmacokinetic properties, and its use in anesthesia, both in clinical studies and case reports. Remifentanil intravenous bolus doses of 0.5-1 μg/kg before the induction to anesthesia provide the best compromise between attenuating maternal stress response and minimizing the possibility of neonatal respiratory depression. Although neonatal respiratory depression, if present, usually resolves in a few minutes without the need for prolonged resuscitation measures, health care workers skilled at neonatal resuscitation should be present in the operating room whenever remifentanil is used.

A considerable amount of data supports a 1.8-7.4-fold increased mortality associated with Cushing’s syndrome (CS). This is attributed to a high occurrence of several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in CS [e.g. adiposity, arterial hypertension (AHT), dyslipidaemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)]. Therefore, practically all patients with CS have the metabolic syndrome (MetS), which represents a high CVD risk. Characteristically, despite a relatively young average age, numerous patients with CS display a 'high' or 'very high' CVD risk (i.e. risk of a major CVD event >20% in the following 10 years). Although T2DM is listed as a condition with a high CVD risk, CS is not, despite the fact that a considerable proportion of the CS population will develop T2DM or impaired glucose tolerance. CS is also regarded as a risk factor for aortic dissection in current guidelines. This review considers the evidence supporting listing CS among high CVD risk conditions.

Magnesium, one of the essential elements in the human body, has numerous favorable effects that offer a variety of possibilities for its use in obstetric anesthesia and intensive care. Administered as a single intravenous bolus dose or a bolus followed by continuous infusion during surgery, magnesium attenuates stress response to endotracheal intubation, and reduces intraoperative anesthetic and postoperative analgesic requirements, while at the same time preserving favorable hemodynamics. Applied as part of an intrathecal or epidural anesthetic mixture, magnesium prolongs the duration of anesthesia and diminishes total postoperative analgesic consumption with no adverse maternal or neonatal effects. In obstetric intensive care, magnesium represents a first-choice medication in the treatment and prevention of eclamptic seizures. If used in recommended doses with close monitoring, magnesium is a safe and effective medication.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a systolic heart failure that occurs during the last month of pregnancy or within 5 months after delivery. It is an uncommon disease of unknown etiopathogenesis and has a very high rate of maternal mortality. Because of similarity between symptoms of PPCM and physiological discomforts during pregnancy, the early diagnosis of PPCM presents a major challenge. Since hemodynamic changes during PPCM can vitally jeopardize the mother and the fetus, patients with severe forms of PPCM require a multidisciplinary approach in intensive care units. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about the diagnosis, monitoring, and the treatment of PPCM. Having reviewed the recent researches, it gives insight into the new treatment strategies of this rare disease.

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