Intravenous Anesthetic Agents in Obstetric Patients

Placental exchange is a dynamic circulatory process throughout pregnancy. The determinants of drug transfer depend on the structural components that comprise the placental lining and the drug’s nonpharmacological profile. The placenta controls the exchange of gases, nutrients, hormones, and immune cells via various mechanisms of entry including passive diffusion, facilitated transport, active transport, and receptor-mediated endocytosis.