While a great variety of women choose to deliver at UC Davis Medical Center, the majority of parturients are considered to have high-risk pregnancies. Common examples of this include pregnancies complicated by severe preeclampsia, high-order multiple gestation, debilitating cardiac and pulmonary disease, diabetes, morbid obesity, premature labor, placental abruption, and placenta previa. The Obstetric Anesthesia Service, in addition to providing anesthesia and analgesia for cesarean and vaginal deliveries, provides care for patients undergoing a variety of other procedures. This includes non-obstetric surgery in the pregnant patient, as well as postpartum tubal ligation, dilatation and curettage, removal of retained placenta, external cephalic version, percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS), cervical cerclage, and in vitro fertilization procedures.

Residents participate in clinical care each of their three years of training, and must demonstrate competence before gaining more responsibility and autonomy in a graded fashion. Intrapartum anesthesia and analgesia for the relatively uncomplicated parturient is emphasized in the CA-1 year. In subsequent years, residents are expected to gain more comfort with high-risk patients including issues of antepartum and postpartum care. In addition to academic responsibilities in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, residents on the Obstetric Anesthesia rotation are expected to participate in relevant teaching rounds, conferences, and didactic activities conducted by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.


Dr. Maria Cristina Gutierrrez, Director
Obstetrical and Gynecological Anesthesia