Fever is often the result of an infection. The most common sites for infection
during pregnancy are fetal membranes, urinary and respiratory tracts, and the
postpartum uterine cavity. The most frequent etiologies of intrapartum fever are
chorioamnionitis and neuraxial anesthesia. Maternal and fetal exposure to hyperthermia
and inflammation is associated with adverse consequences for the mother and the
neonate. In pregnant women with fever, anesthesiologists are not only involved in
providing analgesia, but also in the correct anesthetic management for the surgical
treatment of the infectious region. Thus, as pyrexia may change both obstetric and
anesthetic management, preventing maternal fever is imperative. Emerging and
challenging infectious diseases, as COVID-19, remind us of the susceptible nature of
pregnant and early postpartum women to severe respiratory infections, reinforcing the
importance of vaccines and therapeutic measures during pregnancy.
Keywords: Anesthetic Management, Chorioamnionitis, COVID-19, Epidural Analgesia, Epidural Abscess, Febrile Pregnant, Fever, Fetal Membranes, Inflammation, Infection, Intrapartum Fever, Intraamniotic Infection, Labor, Maternal Fever, Neuraxial Procedures, Neuraxial Anesthesia, Postpartum Infection, Pregnancy, Pyrexia, Sepsis.
