Abstract
Trauma is a leading cause of non-obstetric maternal mortality. It lies in a no-man’s land in between obstetricians, anaesthetists, trauma surgeons and emergency department physicians and needs the expertise of all specialties to ensure best possible outcomes for the mother and the fetus. In this chapter we look at the epidemiology and mechanisms of traumatic injury during pregnancy. The anatomical and physiological changes of pregnancy are well known and necessitate modifications to the primary survey and trauma resuscitation. There are usually concerns about imaging in the pregnant patient, which may delay diagnosis of life-threatening conditions. There are specific obstetric complications associated with trauma in the pregnant patient which must be factored in the overall management. Once the traumatic injury is managed, pregnancy may still be continuing and may need special considerations for delivery as a result of the trauma. In short, the pregnant trauma patient can pose multiple challenges, which necessitate a multidisciplinary approach to ensure best possible care and outcomes.
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Menon, R., Irving, T. (2022). Trauma in Pregnancy. In: Lax, P. (eds) Textbook of Acute Trauma Care . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83628-3_35
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83628-3_35
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