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Early Pregnancy Complications

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Emergency Department Management of Obstetric Complications

Abstract

Pregnant patients often present to the emergency department with chief complaints of abdominal pain and/or vaginal bleeding in the first trimester. Complications of early pregnancy are common and include miscarriage and ectopic and heterotopic pregnancy. Missing a life-threatening diagnosis such as ectopic pregnancy is fraught with risk to both patient and provider. The reliability of the discriminatory zone, used to aide in the diagnosis of early pregnancy complications, has recently been called into question. Assisted reproductive technologies to achieve pregnancy are also becoming increasingly common and present unique diagnostic challenges. Emergency physicians must be prepared to evaluate and manage the various complications of early pregnancy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Georgetown University, 110 Irving St. NW, Washington, DC, 20010, USA

    Kayla Dewey M.D., Kathryn Voss M.D. & Carolyn Phillips M.D., R.D.M.S.

Authors
  1. Kayla Dewey M.D.
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  2. Kathryn Voss M.D.
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  3. Carolyn Phillips M.D., R.D.M.S.
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Correspondence to Kayla Dewey M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA

    Joelle Borhart

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Dewey, K., Voss, K., Phillips, C. (2017). Early Pregnancy Complications. In: Borhart, J. (eds) Emergency Department Management of Obstetric Complications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54410-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54410-6_1

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