Management of obstetric spinal hypotension in resource-limited areas

Hypotension following obstetric spinal anesthesia is a common problem and has remained a focus of research and controversy for many decades. Recent advances on this subject have resulted in numerous recommendations for management of obstetric spinal hypotension. However, these advances have failed to reduce the unacceptable number of fatalities that occur in resources limited environments which constitutes more than 75% of the world’s population. The reason being the failure of translation of the research done in resource-rich environments, and its application and performance in resource-poor environments. This review focuses on the problems faced by clinical environment that are deficient in appropriate resources and manpower. It further proposes an outline for management of spinal hypotension and recommends suitable research agenda to address the deficiencies.