Ideally, perimortem cesarean delivery (ie, resuscitative hysterotomy) should be initiated within four minutes of maternal cardiorespiratory collapse, and delivery of the newborn should be completed within five minutes (known as the "four-minute rule" or the "five-minute rule").
Modified from: Healy ME, Kozubal DE, Horn AE, et al. Care of the critically ill pregnant patient and perimortem cesarean delivery in the emergency department. J Emerg Med 2016; 51:172.
