Pregnant Patients and Neurocritical Care

Pregnant patients with neurological emergencies are a unique subset of patients. Clinical presentation ranges from subtle headaches to seizures. Differentiating neurological emergencies from less serious conditions like migraine becomes important. Risks associated with radiation exposure and contrast agents limit the diagnostic modalities available. Various neurological conditions like cerebrovascular disorders, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, seizures, myasthenia gravis, cardiac arrest, and brain death in pregnancy and their management are discussed in this chapter. Physiological changes of pregnancy, teratogenicity of various drugs, gestational age, all play an important role in deciding line of management. Goals of management always prioritize maternal outcome while minimizing fetal harm as far as possible.