What is considered abdominal trauma in pregnancy?

Abstract. Blunt abdominal trauma is the leading type of traumatic injury in pregnancy, with motor vehicle crashes, falls, and assault being the most common etiologies. Several adverse outcomes can occur in pregnancy, including placental abruption, preterm labor and preterm delivery, uterine rupture, and pelvic fracture ...

What is minor trauma in pregnancy?

By convention, minor trauma does not involve the abdomen, rapid compression, deceleration, or shearing forces, and the patient does not report pain, vaginal bleeding, loss of fluid, or decreased fetal movement.5 Nine out of 10 traumatic injuries during pregnancy are classified as minor.

What is considered trauma to the abdomen?

Abdominal trauma is an injury to the abdomen. Signs and symptoms include abdominal pain, tenderness, rigidity, and bruising of the external abdomen. Complications may include blood loss and infection. Diagnosis may involve ultrasonography, computed tomography, and peritoneal lavage, and treatment may involve surgery.

What are the types of abdominal trauma?

Abdominal injuries include severe subcutaneous haemorrhage, laceration of the abdominal wall, intra-abdominal haemorrhage, rupture of the liver, rupture of the diaphragm, perirenal haemorrhage, and puncture wounds to the stomach and intestines.

How does abdominal trauma affect fetus?

During the second and third trimester, even relatively minor trauma can have significant adverse effects on the fetus. Such adverse effects include placental abruption, preterm labor, uterine rupture, and direct fetal injury.

Trauma In Pregnancy

What causes abdominal trauma in pregnancy?

Motor vehicle crashes, domestic violence, and falls are the most common causes of blunt trauma during pregnancy. All pregnant patients with traumatic injury should be assessed formally in a medical setting because placental abruption can have dire fetal consequences and can present with few or no symptoms.

How long after trauma does placental abruption happen?

The optimal length of fetal heart rate monitoring following trauma is not clear, but the majority of placental abruptions occur within 6 to 9 hours of the event.

What is the most common cause of abdominal trauma?

[10] Costa et al. [11] reported motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), fall from height and assaults to be the most common causes of blunt abdominal trauma. The penetrating trauma is mainly caused by gunshot, stab, and other objects that enter the peritoneal cavity.

How do you know if you have stomach trauma?

Patients often have abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the shoulder, and tenderness. Diagnosis is made by CT or ultrasonography... read more sometimes radiates to the left shoulder. Pain from a small intestinal perforation typically is minimal initially but steadily worsens over the first few hours.

How do you know if you have an abdominal injury?

You may need blood tests and an ultrasound of your abdomen. Based on the results of the blood tests and ultrasound, you may need other tests. An example is a CT scan. The CT scan will show if you have damage to your organs or bleeding in your abdomen.

What is the most frequently damaged organs due to abdominal trauma?

The liver is the most commonly injured organ in blunt abdominal trauma and the second most commonly injured organ in penetrating abdominal trauma [3-6]. The liver is a highly vascular organ located in the right upper quadrant (figure 1) of the abdomen and is susceptible to injury from traumatic mechanisms.

What are four signs and symptoms of an abdominal injury?

What is the most frequently injured organ in abdominal trauma?

For blunt trauma injuries, the liver is the most commonly affected, followed by the spleen. The liver, as the largest organ, is more liable to injury.

Which pregnant trauma patient is the highest priority?

Which pregnant trauma patient is the HIGHEST priority for transport to a trauma​ center? According to the CDC trauma triage​ guidelines, a trauma patient with a pregnancy of more than 20 weeks should go to a trauma center.

What kind of trauma causes placental abruption?

The cause of placental abruption is often unknown. Possible causes include trauma or injury to the abdomen — from an auto accident or fall, for example — or rapid loss of the fluid that surrounds and cushions the baby in the uterus (amniotic fluid).

What to watch out for after falling while pregnant?

When to See Your Doctor

You had a fall that resulted in a direct blow to your stomach. You're leaking amniotic fluid and/or vaginal bleeding. You're experiencing severe pain, especially in your pelvis, stomach, or uterus. You're experiencing faster contractions or are starting to have contractions.

What are the five most reliable signs & symptoms of blunt abdominal trauma?

When should you go to ER for abdominal trauma?

However, the injury may be more serious and require an emergency room visit if the person: Feels nauseous or is vomiting. Experience new/severe back pain. Has difficulty going to the bathroom.

How will you treat abdominal trauma?

Can abdominal trauma cause placental abruption?

The cause is unknown in most cases, but risk factors may include maternal high blood pressure, abdominal trauma and substance misuse. Without prompt medical treatment, a severe case of placental abruption can have dire consequences for the mother and her unborn child, including death.

Can placental abruption go unnoticed?

Sometimes the bleeding remains hidden between the separated lining of the uterus and behind the placenta. This is called a 'silent abruption' and it can go unnoticed unless it's accompanied by abdominal pain and tenderness.

Does bed rest help placental abruption?

If your placental abruption is small, your provider may put you on bed rest to stop your bleeding. After a few days, most women can go back to their normal activities in most cases. For a moderate separation, you will likely need to stay in the hospital.

What kind of trauma can cause miscarriage?

Catastrophic trauma includes such types of injury as maternal death, hemorrhagic shock, multiple compound fractures of the extremities, liver and spleen ruptures, to name a few. Catastrophic trauma during the first trimester is often associated with subsequent miscarriage.

Can a fetus feel mother's stress?

Most recently, some studies are suggesting that stress in the womb can affect a baby's temperament and neurobehavioral development. Infants whose mothers experienced high levels of stress while pregnant, particularly in the first trimester, show signs of more depression and irritability.

Which of the following is most important when caring for the abdominal trauma patient?

Assessment of hemodynamic stability is the most important initial concern in the evaluation of a patient with blunt abdominal trauma.