If you operate for long enough, chances are you will come across the unique, and potentially daunting scenario of operating on a pregnant patient. If, and when, you do, would you know what to do? Join University of Washington and MIS faculty Drs. Andrew Wright, Nicole White, and Nick Cetrulo, and residents Drs. Ben Vierra and Paul Herman as they discuss non-obstetric surgery in the pregnant patient so that you will be better informed when the challenge arises.

Hosts:
1. Andrew Wright, UW Medical Center—Montlake and Northwest, @andrewswright
2. Nick Cetrulo, UW Medical Center—Northwest, @Trules25
3. Nicole White, UW Medical Center—Northwest, @NicoleWhiteTho1
4. Paul Herman, UW General Surgery Resident PGY-3, @paul_herm
5. Ben Vierra, UW General Surgery Resident PGY-2

Learning Objectives
1. Describe important physiologic changes in pregnancy that are relevant for the surgeon to know.
2. Review the epidemiology of non-obstetric general surgery in the pregnant patient.
3. Discuss specific imaging considerations in the pregnant patient.
4. Become more familiar with the technical aspects of approaching a typical surgical case in a pregnant patient.

References
1. Pearl, J.P., Price, R.R., Tonkin, A.E. et al. SAGES guidelines for the use of laparoscopy during pregnancy. Surg Endosc 31, 3767–3782 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-017-5637-3
2. Vasileiou G, Eid AI, Qian S, Pust GD, Rattan R, Namias N, Larentzakis A, Kaafarani HMA, Yeh DD; EAST Appendicitis Study Group. Appendicitis in Pregnancy: A Post-Hoc Analysis of an EAST Multicenter Study. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2020 Apr;21(3):205-211. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31687887/
3. Dongarwar D, Taylor J, Ajewole V, Anene N, Omoyele O, Ogba C, Oluwatoba A, Giger D, Thuy A, Argueta E, Naik E, Salemi JL, Spooner K, Olaleye O, Salihu HM. Trends in Appendicitis Among Pregnant Women, the Risk for Cardiac Arrest, and Maternal-Fetal Mortality. World J Surg. 2020 Dec;44(12):3999-4005. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32737556/
4. Fong ZV, Pitt HA, Strasberg SM, Molina RL, Perez NP, Kelleher CM, Loehrer AP, Sicklick JK, Talamini MA, Lillemoe KD, Chang DC; California Cholecystectomy Group. Cholecystectomy During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy: Proceed or Delay? J Am Coll Surg. 2019 Apr;228(4):494-502.e1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30769111/
5. Hong J, Yang J, Zhang X, Su J, Tumati A, Garry D, Docimo S, Bates AT, Spaniolas K, Talamini MA, Pryor AD. Considering delay of cholecystectomy in the third trimester of pregnancy. Surg Endosc. 2021 Aug;35(8):4673-4680. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32875420/
6. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 775: Nonobstetric Surgery During Pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol. 2019 Apr;133(4):e285-e286. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30913200/
7. Ashbrook M, Cheng V, Sandhu K, Matsuo K, Schellenberg M, Inaba K, Matsushima K. Management of Complicated Appendicitis During Pregnancy in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Apr 1;5(4):e227555. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35426921/
8. Capella CE, Godovchik J, Chandrasekar T, Al-Kouatly HB. Nonobstetrical Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery in Pregnancy: A Systematic Literature Review. Urology. 2021 May;151:58-66. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32445766/

Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more.

If you liked this episode, check out other Behind the Knife minimally invasive surgery episodes: https://behindtheknife.org/podcast-category/minimally-invasive/

Clinical Challenges in Minimally Invasive Surgery: MIS in the Pregnant Patient

Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast