Trauma in pregnancy: complications, outcomes, and treatment]

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of the various traumas on mother and fetus and to present the solutions of trauma management.A review of data archive of Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital and articles published during the last 13 years (1990-2003) and selected by computerized Medline search. Trauma affects 7-8% of all pregnant women; motor vehicle accidents account for 42%, falls--for 34%, and violence--for 18% of the most frequently cited cases of injuries. Of the 27,715 pregnant females attending antenatal clinics, 372 (1.3%) experienced trauma: 84% of women had blunt injuries and 16% had penetrating injuries. There were 14 maternal deaths (3.8%) and 35 fetal deaths (9.4%). The success of pregnancy is associated with severity of maternal trauma. The survival of the fetus after trauma depends on the mother's condition in regard to respiratory passage, oxygenation, and hypovolemia. During 1990-2003, six pregnant patients with severe trauma were treated at Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital. Traumatic separation of placenta was observed in two cases. Three women and three fetuses died.