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Podcast: Anesthesia Patient Safety Podcast
Episode: #284 Safer C-Section Pain Control with Ruth Landau, MD
Description: The fastest way to improve post-cesarean recovery is to start before the first incision—by setting expectations, testing the block, and validating what patients feel. We sit down with Dr. Ruth Landau, Virginia Apgar Professor and Chief of Obstetric Anesthesia at Columbia University, to map a safer path from the OR to the nursery: neuraxial-first analgesia, scheduled non-opioids, and small, truly PRN opioid prescriptions at discharge. She explains how intrapartum cesareans carry higher risk for discomfort and why simple shifts—active epidural management, timely redosing, and clear, compassionate communication—reduce pain, opioid exposure, and the chance of a traumatic birth...