Regional anesthesia for urgent upper limb surgery in a pregnant woman with HIV: a case-based insight into multidisciplinary and drug-sparing management
Abstract
Anesthetic management in pregnant women requiring urgent non-obstetric surgery is particularly challenging in the presence of comorbidities such as HIV and obesity. This report outlines the perioperative approach adopted for a 26-year-old woman at 23 weeks of gestation with AIDS and an elevated body mass index (BMI) undergoing orthopedic surgery following elbow trauma. A supraclavicular brachial plexus block was successfully used for intraoperative anesthesia and postoperative analgesia, thus avoiding systemic medications and minimizing fetal exposure. This case exemplifies how regional anesthesia, combined with coordinated multidisciplinary care, can offer safe and effective management in high-risk pregnancies. Findings support the growing literature favoring individualized, minimally invasive anesthetic strategies, especially in immunocompromised patients.
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