ABSTRACT
Trauma is the leading non-obstetric cause of death in the pregnant patient (1). Approximately 7% of all pregnancies are complicated by trauma, and four of every 1000 pregnancies require hospital admission because of a traumatic injury (2). With an increasing number of women working outside the home during pregnancy, there has been a proportional increase in the number of pregnant patients treated for injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes (3). The risk of injury from a violent crime during pregnancy also parallels that of the general population. In a large multicenter review, penetrating trauma was responsible for 20% of admissions of pregnant women to a trauma center (4). Blunt and penetrating trauma are associated with increased pregnancy complications, and higher severity of injury correlates with markedly higher fetal loss (5). Since the fetus and mother are intimately linked, as the fetus is dependent on the mother, maternal trauma may have a profound effect on fetal outcome.
