Pre-eclampsia and Pulmonary Oedema in Preterm Labour

You are the anaesthetist on call overnight in a regional hospital. You are called to the Birth Suite at 2 am to review a 19-year-old woman who has just been brought in by ambulance in labour with sudden onset of shortness of breath within the last 6 to 12 hours. The woman is G1 P0 and is 32 weeks gestation by dates. She has not had any antenatal care during the pregnancy. The cardiotocogram (CTG) is normal. The patient denies any prior medical history. She weighs 65 kg and has a BMI of 23 kg/m2. The midwife informs you that the patient's oxygen saturation is 94% on 15 L/min oxygen via non-rebreather mask. The obstetric registrar and your anaesthetic registrar are currently performing a Category 2 caesarean section in the emergency theatre.