title: Perioperative management of the pregnant patient with an anterior mediastinal mass.
abstract: This article describes the perioperative risks of pregnant patients with anterior mediastinal masses, and demonstrates the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for the management of high-risk patients. Mediastinal mass syndrome is defined as immediate right heart failure secondary to vascular compression when positive pressure ventilation is initiated. Greater emphasis on the potential for cardiovascular collapse (versus respiratory collapse) challenges the conventional teaching of risks associated with mediastinal masses in the adult population.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Anesthesia, Dalhousie Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. George.Kanellakos@dal.ca
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Kanellakos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058109:Airway Management; D000758:Anesthesia; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005316:Fetal Distress / Q000628:therapy; D006333:Heart Failure; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D019990:Perioperative Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000601:surgery*; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed