Is a platelet count considered a standard of care before routine neuraxial analgesia for labor?
To answer the question about obtaining platelet counts prior to neuraxial analgesics in laboring patients, the ASA Practice Guidelines for Obstetric Anesthesia are a good resource and can be found at the following website: http://www.asahq.org/publicatio nsAndServices/practiceparam .htm#ob Recommendations. A specific platelet count predictive of neuraxial anesthetic complications has not been determined.
