Monitoring the fetus of a gravida who is undergoing surgery is addressed in the ACOG Committee Opinion No. 696 on Nonobstetrical Surgery during Pregnancy [1]. The status of the fetus is important in the postanesthesia care unit as well. Depending on the fetal gestational age, the monitoring may only entail intermittent fetal heart tone documentation or the fetus may require continuous electronic monitoring, especially in the later stages of pregnancy.

Pre-viable fetuses generally tolerate anesthetics and surgery very well; however, if the fetal heart tones indicate fetal compromise, little can be done to manage that other than correction of respiratory and metabolic problems in the gravida.