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To present a case of respiratory arrest following the use of intrathecal sufentanil and bupivacaine for combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia in a healthy labouring parturient.A 20-yr-old term parturient received 10 micrograms sufentanil and 2.5 mg bupivacaine intrathecally as part of a combined spinal-epidural technique for labour analgesia. She had received no previous analgesics. Twenty-three minutes after the intrathecal injection she became unresponsive and suffered a respiratory arrest. Resuscitation included manual bag/mask ventilation with oxygen and intravenous naloxone.Respiratory arrest is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication associated with the use of intrathecal opioids for labour analgesia. Vigilance in post-procedure patient monitoring is imperative.

To describe the anesthetic considerations for a near-term parturient with progressive cauda equina syndrome who required Cesarean delivery followed immediately by decompression lumbar discectomy and laminectomy in the prone position.A 33-yr-old woman presented at 35 weeks gestation with severe L5-S1 disc herniation causing motor and sensory neuronal dysfunction in the lower limbs accompanied by bowel and bladder dysfunction. After urgent multidisciplinary consultations, a decision was made to proceed with general anesthesia for Cesarean delivery in the supine position with left uterine displacement, followed immediately thereafter by L5-S1 discectomy and laminectomy in the prone position. Anesthesia concerns included the risks of hemorrhage from the combined surgeries and upper airway edema from the prone position, and the physiologic changes of pregnancy. The surgeries proceeded without complication, and both mother and baby recovered uneventfully.With a multidisciplinary approach, two surgeries in two different positions with unique anesthetic considerations were performed safely under general anesthesia in advanced pregnancy in a parturient with cauda equina syndrome.