Medical professionals are often involved in the management of the pregnant patient without necessarily being experts on all the complications surrounding pregnancy. The Handbook of Obstetric Medicine addresses the most common and serious medical conditions encountered in pregnancy, including heart disease, thromboembolism, diabetes, skin problems, gastrointestinal disease, neurological problems, hormonal diseases, hypertension and pre-eclampsia, and more. For each condition, the handbook includes a description of incidence, clinical features, pathogenesis, diagnosis, the effect of pregnancy, and management of the condition. The book also includes a detailed section focusing on the differential diagnosis of common symptoms including hypertension, chest pain, palpitations, breathlessness, headaches, dizziness, abdominal pain, and more.
The symptoms and differential diagnoses are presented in an easy-to-read tabular format and include a description of important clinical features and potential areas of investigation. For those clinicians understandably reluctant to prescribe drugs during pregnancy, a useful appendix includes a section on prescribing in pregnancy and a list of contra-indicated drugs. In addition, to assist in the interpretation of laboratory tests, a second appendix lists normal laboratory values in pregnancy, broken down by trimester. Pre –pregnancy counselling and postnatal follow up are vital in the holistic management of women with medical problems and this includes appropriate contraceptive advice. A third appendix has therefore been added as a ready reference for clinicians not familiar with effective contraception.
The new edition remains a pragmatic and easy-to-use design by including tables, bullets, and "Points to remember" boxes for ease of reference. It is an essential on-the-spot guide for obstetricians, physicians, general practitioners, and midwives in both practice and training.
Catherine Nelson-Piercy, MA, FRCP, FRCOG Past President, International Society of Obstetric Medicine, Professor of Obstetric Medicine, King’s College London, Co-founding Editor-in-Chief, Obstetric Medicine
Praise for previous editions:
"This is an excellent handbook of obstetric medicine, which deserves to be on the shelves of all actively practicing obstetricians."—British Medical Association Medical Book Awards
"This book gets it just right and is a true handbook, easy to read, accessible and is not too large but packs in a lot of useful and relevant information." - Glycosmedia
Preface
Key terms
Section A: Systems
1. Hypertension and pre-eclampsia
2. Heart disease
3. Thromboembolic disease
4. Respiratory disease
5. Diabetes mellitus
6. Thyroid and parathyroid disease
7. Pituitary and adrenal disease
8. Connective tissue disease
9. Neurological problems
10. Renal disease
11. Liver disease
12. Gastrointestinal disease
13. Skin disease
14. Haematological problems
15. Human immunodeficiency virus and other infectious diseases
Section B: Differential diagnosis of medical problems in pregnancy
16. Tables
Appendix A.1. Prescribing in pregnancy
Appendix A.2. Normal laboratory values in pregnancy/non-pregnancy
Appendix A.3. Contraception in women with medical problems
Index
Biography
Catherine Nelson-Piercy is a consultant obstetric physician at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London. She is a professor of Obstetric Medicine at King’s College London in the UK.
"an excellent reference source for its subject matter… well written, clear and concise but provides a lot of valuable and relevant information… this book is designed for frontline clinical care and prepared to offer alternatives in potential tricky situations… [it] is full of wisdom and advice and I am sure will be much sought after." - published by Glycosmedia
