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Trauma Case Studies

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Trauma complicates up to 7%(Proof?) of all pregnancies and is the leading non obstetric cause of death among pregnant women. The most common traumatic injuries are motor vehicle crashes, assaults, falls, and intimate partner violence(Table1).Nine out of 10 traumatic injuries during pregnancy are classified as minor, yet 60% to 70% of fetal losses after trauma are a result of minor injuries.(1)
Maternal mortality secondary to trauma can often be prevented by coordinated medical care, but it is essential that caregivers recognize the unique situation of providing simultaneous care to 2 patients who have a complex physiologic relationship (2). Knowledge of pregnancy-related anatomic and physiologic changes is also important in the evaluation and management of these women.
Motor vehicle crashes are responsible for approximately two-thirds of maternal trauma cases in developed countries, while domestic violence, other assaults, falls, burns, and suicide account for the majority of the remainder (3).
Among women of similar age groups who are equivalently injured, those who are pregnant exhibit lower mortality. These findings suggest that hormonal and physiologic differences during the gestation period may play a
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The subsequent reduction in preload results in a significant fall in stroke volume.Displacing the uterus to the left, off the vena cava, is critical to restoring cardiac output. This is best accomplished by placing the woman on her left side, but putting a wedge or rolled towel under her right side, or adjusting her platform to a 30º left lateral tilt is also useful. Left-sided tilt should be utilized whenever possible for all women after 20 weeks of gestation during trauma evaluation or during
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