Axioms on Trauma and Pregnancy
1.The care providers who usually care for trauma victims are not usually experienced in caring for pregnant patients.
2.The care providers who usually care for pregnant patients are not usually experienced in caring for trauma patients.
3.Pregnancy dose not normally interfere with the management of the critically injured trauma victim except in the interpretation of sign and symptoms, lab values, and efforts to correct alterations in blood volume.
4.The trauma victim who is obviously pregnant is likely to precipitate the therapeutic paralysis
5.With obstetric trauma cases, the best interest of the fetus is served by prompt and effective treatment of the mother. Procrastinating because the patient in pregnant will almost invariably compromise the fetus.To save the life of the mother, the pregnancy is ignored and treatment promptly instituted.
6.When likelihood of imminent maternal death is high,antemortum Cesarean section will need to be considered. If the fetus is near term and alive, little can be gained by waiting.
7.When there are two patients involved, the interests of both need to be served.
8.Pregnancy may mask the normal pattern. Trauma may alter or mask the normal pattern of the onset of labor.
9.The concept of supine hypotension is alien to non – obstetrical care givers, but is basic to the care of the pregnant trauma victim.