Lisa Dent is a 32 year old patient who has been in labour for eight hours, following a normal full-term pregnancy. Unfortunately, Ms Dent’s cervix has not dilated and as a result labour has been obstructed

Lisa Dent is a 32 year old patient who has been in labour for eight hours, following a normal full-term pregnancy. Unfortunately, Ms Dent’s cervix has not dilated and as a result labour has been obstructed. The obstetrician believes that the unbom baby would die without intervention and thus recommends that the MDT carry out an emergency Caeserian section. Ms Dent agrees to this as she wishes for her child to be safely delivered. However, Ms Dent suffers from a phobia of needles and so refuses to consent to the required administration of an anaesthetic by intravenous transfusion. She does agree to inhalational anaesthesia but the anaesthetist is unwilling to administer the anaesthetic in this manner because this carries a 50% risk of gastric inhalation, which is potentially fatal for Ms Dent. The MDT decide that Ms Dent does not have the capacity to make an informed decision. They decide on this basis that it ¡s in her ‘best interests’ to have the anaesthetic administered intravenously. The decision is carried out.

Lisa Dent is a 32 year old patient who has been in labour for eight hours, following a normal full-term pregnancy. Unfortunately, Ms Dent’s cervix has not dilated and as a result labour has been obstructed