Bridging the Maternity Desert: Emergency Management of High-Risk OB Cases (Plenary V)

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

2:25 PM - 3:10 PM PT

Location: Grand III - 4th Floor

CE: 0.75 CME Credit

Speaker(s)

Julie T. Vieth, MD FAAEM

Division Chief, Clinical Operations; Medical Director
University of Vermont Health Network
Shelburne, Vermont

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Co-Speaker(s)

Andrea Shields, MD MS FACOG (she/her/hers)

Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Farmington, Connecticut

Disclosure(s): Agency of Healthcare Research and quality: Research Grant (includes principal investigator, collaborator or consultant and pending grants as well as grants already received) (Ongoing); Baylor College of Medicine: Intellectual Property/Patents (Ongoing); Symposium Medicus: Speaker/Honoraria (includes speakers bureau, symposia, and expert witness) (Ongoing); Varda 5, LLC: Ownership or Partnership (Ongoing)

Session Moderator(s)

Harman S. Gill, MD FAAEM (he/him/his)

Director of Education and Academic Development
NYU - GLISOM
Mineola, New York

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Kimberly M. Brown, MD MPH FAAEM (she/her/hers)

Community/Locum Tenens
Brown EMP, PLLC
Memphis, Tennessee

Disclosure information not submitted.

Disclosure(s):

Julie T. Vieth, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Andrea Shields, MD MS FACOG: Agency of Healthcare Research and quality: Research Grant (includes principal investigator, collaborator or consultant and pending grants as well as grants already received) (Ongoing); Baylor College of Medicine: Intellectual Property/Patents (Ongoing); Symposium Medicus: Speaker/Honoraria (includes speakers bureau, symposia, and expert witness) (Ongoing); Varda 5, LLC: Ownership or Partnership (Ongoing)

Medical emergencies in the obstetric patient are high-stakes, low-frequency events in the emergency department (ED), where rapid recognition and coordinated care can dramatically impact maternal and fetal outcomes. Emergency physicians are often the first point of contact for pregnant patients with critical conditions such as stroke, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, amniotic fluid embolism—yet training and comfort levels vary significantly. A collaborative approach between EM and MFM can strengthen diagnostic accuracy, decision-making, and cross-disciplinary communication, particularly in settings without in-house obstetrics coverage.

This lecture will be co-presented by an emergency medicine physician with an academic focus in obstetrical emergencies and a national expert Maternal Fetal Medicine physician who is the creator of Obstetrical Life Support training.

Learning Objectives:

Identify and prioritize the initial evaluation and stabilization of uncommon and life-threatening medical emergencies in obstetric patient in the ED.
Apply shared, evidence-based management strategies for OB emergencies, including the role of point-of-care ultrasound, emergent delivery considerations, and pharmacologic interventions.
Recognize the red-flag presentations of high-risk maternal conditions and understand when to involve MFM consultation.