Current perspectives on maternity critical care.

Maternal critical care is a developing area of clinical practice. Looking after a critically ill woman requires a multidisciplinary team that must endeavour to maintain the relative normality of pregnancy. Whilst consideration of the fetus should be taken when making clinical decisions regarding maternal care, unfounded concerns for the fetus can contribute to therapeutic inertia such that potentially life-saving therapies are denied to pregnant women. The management of a critically ill obstetric patient must reflect, as closely as possible, the management of critical illness outside pregnancy. We will discuss some of the current evidence and concepts around this emerging area in obstetrics, including enhanced maternity care, maternal medicine networks and clinical care.