Obstetric anesthesiology, a field rich in history, is currently in transition. Maternal mortality has been increasing in the United States in the last 25 years and as medical advances continue, a more complex patient population is forcing doctors to re-evaluate the optimal approach to these patients. Historical acknowledgement, however, may be the key to our future. Obstetric anesthesiology has faced challenges, and through ingenuity and multidisciplinary collaboration, it has undergone remarkable transformations, becoming a field central to the birthing experience for women across the world. Historical remembrance is an ageless universal truth spanning multiple disciplines. Obstetric anesthesiology, facing challenges in maternal mortality, is an ideal example where history provides valuable lessons in strategy and collaboration.
A rebirth through innovation is a hallmark of medicine. Medical advances seem to occur in bursts, thrusting the field considerably forward in seemingly short amounts of time. Obstetric anesthesiology is not immune to this phenomenon....
