Antenatal Care and Maternal Emergencies
Recognise pregnancy complications, prioritise maternal stabilisation and choose safe investigation, treatment and escalation.
How to prepare for PLAB 1
Practise recognising the immediate clinical task, ruling in or out dangerous alternatives, choosing the safest next step and closing the loop.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Pregnancy changes differential diagnosis, investigation choices, medicine risk and thresholds for senior obstetric input.
Exam cue: Confirm gestation and stability before selecting the next step.
Concept 2
Maternal resuscitation and time-critical escalation take priority when the mother or fetus is at risk.
Exam cue: Use the safest effective test or treatment without delaying emergency care.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Withholding necessary care solely because the patient is pregnant.
Guardrail: Avoid an option that names a plausible diagnosis but ignores physiology, contraindications, competence, patient priorities or follow-up.
Focusing on fetal assessment before stabilising the mother.
Guardrail: Avoid an option that names a plausible diagnosis but ignores physiology, contraindications, competence, patient priorities or follow-up.
Memory anchors
What frames an obstetric emergency?
Maternal ABCDE, gestation, bleeding or pain, fetal concern and urgent obstetric escalation.
What comes first in maternal collapse?
Standard resuscitation with pregnancy adaptations and immediate expert help.
How should medicines in pregnancy be judged?
Balance maternal benefit, fetal risk, gestation, dose and safer effective alternatives.
What makes hypertension in pregnancy urgent?
Severe pressure, neurological symptoms, organ dysfunction or fetal compromise.
What closes antenatal management?
Clear escalation, safety-netting, follow-up and communication with maternity services.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
A 29-year-old at 8 weeks' gestation has severe unilateral pelvic pain, shoulder-tip pain, pulse 118 and blood pressure 82/48 mmHg. What is the best next step?
A primigravida at 34 weeks has blood pressure 168/112 mmHg, headache, visual scotomata and epigastric pain. What should happen now?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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