This presentation outlines the anesthetic considerations for the breastfeeding patient coming in for any operative procedure. This is a population that anesthesiologists may not see regularly, but their treatment can have a significant impact on the patient and their infant. The presenters will go through the basics of breastfeeding physiology, perioperative complications and spend time going through anesthetic medications and their potential infant risks. They will further explain why most patients can continue to breastfeed postoperatively without the need to “pump and dump”.
The second portion of the presentation will review a local quality improvement project in Edmonton to standardize and improve discharge teaching instructions provided by perioperative practitioners including anesthesiologists, nurses and surgeons. The presenters will highlight available guidelines and potential opportunities to support this patient population. They will also describe challenges they have faced and lessons learned to inspire similar change in other hospitals in Canada.
