Prehospital resuscitative hysterotomy: a practice review

Management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in a pregnant patient is challenging, both logistically and emotionally. This review explores the adaptations to resuscitation in pregnancy; the indications and preparation for prehospital resuscitative hysterotomy (RH); the surgical procedure; and the post-procedure care. Prehospital clinicians should train for RH in their teams to maximise the chances of maternal and fetal survival. Further research is needed to understand the incidence of maternal OHCA, how we can improve the chain of survival and the duration of maternal cardiac arrest before RH becomes futile to inform future guidelines.