Cardiopulmonary arrest in pregnancy: two case reports of successful outcomes in association with perimortem Caesarean delivery

Cardiac arrest in pregnancy is a rare event in which the speed of the response and attention to a number of pregnancy-specific interventions is crucial to the outcome. The commencement of a perimortem Caesarean delivery within 4 min of the onset of the arrest has been recommended as a technique to potentially improve survival in both the mother and the fetus but presents significant logistical challenges to the health-care facility. In this report, we describe two cases of cardiac arrest in pregnancy in which a perimortem Caesarean was performed as part of the resuscitation process and was associated with excellent maternal and neonatal outcomes. We discuss some of the issues surrounding the performance of a perimortem Caesarean delivery that were relevant to this case, including experience from the training that is provided in our institution.