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Management of Neurological Trauma in the Pregnant Patient

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Neurological Disorders in Pregnancy

Abstract

The presentation of a pregnant patient who has sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is infrequent and the implications of these combined states is relatively unknown. TBI may be mild, moderate, or severe. Severe TBI can be life-threatening requiring emergent medical and surgical intervention. In this chapter, TBI is reviewed briefly followed by a systematic discussion of the Brain Trauma Foundation’s recommendations for the management of severe TBI. Any possible considerations for the pregnant patient are discussed with literature available. The authors also discuss the considerations for patient transfer to a higher-level care center, importance of a multidisciplinary team, fetal monitoring and time of delivery, imaging considerations, and lastly a brief review of literary works discussing the balance of maternal and fetal lives in the care provider’s decision making process. Overall, there is a great paucity of evidence for this specific presentation and more studies are required to better guide our care.

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Talbot, C.E., Mammis, A. (2023). Management of Neurological Trauma in the Pregnant Patient. In: Gupta, G., et al. Neurological Disorders in Pregnancy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36490-7_17

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