When cardiac arrest occurs in late pregnancy, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is diffi cult [33] . Th e airway should be secured without delay, and the patient should be positioned to ensure left lateral displacement of the uterus. Unfortunately, this results in less eff ective CPR [33] . Drugs and defi brillation regimens should follow standard Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support guidelines. A decision regarding Cesarean delivery should be made immediately. Current data suggest that this should be performed within 5 minutes, to ensure viability of the mother [34] . Extraction of the fetus results in an increase in maternal blood volume and release of aortocaval compression [35] . Th is should be undertaken from the second trimester onwards. If the decision to perform Cesarean delivery is made, there should be no delay and CPR should be continued throughout surgery. Maternal brain death, due, for example, to an intracranial bleed, raises diffi cult ethical and legal issues [36, 37] . Depending on the gestational age, it may be possible, if the fetus is near viability, to maintain maternal organ support to allow the fetus to reach viability [38] . Although it may appear expensive to sustain the vegetative state of the brain-dead mother, this cost may be signifi cantly less than the long-term cost of care of a severely premature neonate, which would require neonatal ICU and a variety of health-care interventions.