Welcome back to our 2025 Stoelting Conference Podcast Series.

Fever isn’t the fail-safe it’s made out to be—especially in pregnancy. We walk through the subtle ways maternal sepsis hides in plain sight, why a quarter of those who died never had a fever, and how early warning tools, rapid antibiotics, and source control change the odds. From there, we pivot to maternal hemorrhage and show how quantifying blood loss with calibrated drapes plus a treatment bundle outperforms the old habit of visual estimation. We dig into TXA timing for high‑risk cesarean patients, the evidence gaps on transfusion strategies, and how placenta accreta spectrum demands regionalized teams and rehearsed playbooks.

The conversation then turns to venous thromboembolism, still a leading cause of maternal mortality. Risk climbs five- to six-fold and peaks postpartum, so we stress reassessment at prenatal intake, during any antepartum admission, at delivery, and before discharge. We compare heparin and low molecular weight heparin in real-world settings, highlight extremely low neuraxial hematoma risk when following ASRA guidance, and share concrete workflow tactics: pre-delivery anesthesia consults, unit-wide alerting, anticoagulant hold triggers, and pre-procedure huddles that keep patients safe while preserving neuraxial options.

Threaded through each segment is a practical theme: faster recognition, standardized bundles, and tight communication save mothers’ lives. If you’re building a safer unit, start with tools that measure what matters, empower nurses to escalate, and remove delays between suspicion and action. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review with one change you’ll make this week—what will you implement first?

For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/277-transforming-maternal-care-faster-sepsis-recognition-smarter-hemorrhage-response-and-safer-vte-prevention/

© 2025, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

#277 Transforming Maternal Care: Faster Sepsis Recognition, Smarter Hemorrhage Response, and Safer VTE Prevention

Anesthesia Patient Safety Podcast

#277 Transforming Maternal Care: Faster Sepsis Recognition, Smarter Hemorrhage Response, and Safer VTE Prevention