Overview

The focus of the third edition of Best Practice in Labour and Delivery is on improvement of technical and non-technical skills, multidisciplinary team working, high quality training and audit with the goal of improving safety and quality of intrapartum care. The editor and authors from a range of international backgrounds have decades of hands-on experience in managing high risk labour wards and promoting both multidisciplinary working and high-quality training. The latest evidence from the Cochrane library and the WHO, NICE and RCOG guidelines have been incorporated into chapters spanning the stages of labour and delivery and the complications that may arise. Chapters also provide practical advice on risk management, triage and prioritisation, and non-technical skills such as leadership and decision making. The well-illustrated book is an essential read for practicing obstetricians, trainees, midwives, neonatologists, anaesthetists and obstetric physicians.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran (St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press
Edition:   3rd Revised edition
ISBN:  

9781009497435

ISBN 10:   100949743
Pages:   452
Publication Date:   06 November 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

1. Pelvic and fetal cranial anatomy and the stages and mechanism of labour K. Muhunthan; 2. The first stage of labour Ann Wright and Lay Kok Tan; 3. Analgesia and anaesthesia in labour and delivery Arani Pillai and Alice Bunce; 4. Intrapartum fetal monitoring Sabaratnam Arulkumaran; 5. Uterine contractions Sabaratnam Arulkumaran; 6. Identification and management of presumed intrapartum fetal distress Shannyn Rosser, Matthew Daly, Jessica Turner and Sailesh Kumar; 7. Prolonged second stage of labour including difficult decision-making on assisted vaginal birth and caesarean birth Deirdre J. Murphy; 8. Instrumental vaginal deliveries indications, techniques and complications Stergios Doumouchtsis and Sabaratnam Arulkumaran; 9. Vaginal breech deliveries and external cephalic version Tak Yeung Leung; 10. The evidence based caesarean delivery technique Inês Nunes; 11. Shoulder dystocia So Ling Lau and Tak Yeung Leung; 12. Umbilical cord prolapse Lo Wong and Tak Yeung Leung; 13. Twin delivery Soon Leong Yong and Tak Yeung Leung; 14. Antepartum haemorrhage Sarah Li and Arijit Biswas; 15. Management of the third stage of labour Anita Makins, Hajeb Kamali and Pina Amin; 16. Postpartum haemorrhage Idnan Yunas and Arri Coomarasamy; 17. Management of placenta accreta spectrum Ammar Al Naimi and Sally Collins; 18. Acute illness and maternal collapse Harriet E. Pudge, Lucy de Lloyd and Sarah Bell; 19. Episiotomy and obstetric perineal trauma Ranee Thakar, Nicola Adanna Okeahialam and Abdul H. Sultan; 20. Induction of labour Sabaratnam Arulkumaran; 21. Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (pprom) Austin Ugwumadu; 22. Preterm birth Rebecca Y. Li and Boon Lim; 23. Labour in women with medical disorders Mandish K. Dhanjal; 24. Management of women with previous caesarean section Sau Lan Mok, Tak Yeung Leung and Tsz Kin Lo; 25. Hypertensive disorders in labour and delivery Sophie Earle and James J. Walker; 26. Rupture of the uterus P. K. Sekharan and V. P. Radhadevi; 27. Neonatal resuscitation and the management of immediate neonatal problems Sumit Thakur and Paul Mannix; 28. The immediate puerperium Zohaib Arain and Shankari Arulkumaran; 29. Triage and prioritisation on labour wards Ann M. Wright, Zi Xi Poo and Lay Kok Tan; 30. Maternity training in the 21st century Dawn L. Parris and Dimitrios Siassakos; 31. Risk management in intrapartum care Thangeswaran Rudra and Yogesh C Chadha; 32. Cerebral palsy arising from events in labour Alberto Berenguer, Marta Ribeiro and Diogo Ayres-de-Campos; 33. Non-technical skills to improve obstetric practice Rehan Khan and Kim Hinshaw; Index.

Reviews

'A mother and baby, or babies, will go through what may arguably be the toughest journey of their lives during labour and childbirth. The birth passage is short, but the list of potential problems that could occur in this journey is long. When a problem occurs, what one doesn't often have is time. The ticking clock often determines the outcome. Having clear knowledge about what to do, how to do, and when to do can make all the difference. Sound knowledge about labour and delivery is at the core of effective care, and this book has a central contribution to make in getting you ready to face the delivery suite with confidence and purpose. The book provides clear information, guidance and instructions, all based on sound evidence and current consensus. Make time for this book; it will help you, your team, mothers and babies.' Arri Coomarasamy, OBE, MBChB, MD, FRCOG, FMedSci, University of Oxford

Author Information

Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran is past President of the International Federation of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. He is Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, St George's University of London; Visiting Professor at the Institute of Global Health, Imperial College, London; Foundation Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. Arul's contribution to women's health was recognised with three National Honours; UK - Knight Bachelor by the Queen in her Birthday Honours List in June 2009; Ranjana National award by the Sri Lankan President in 2019 & Active citizen award by the President of Cyprus in 2019.

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