RT Book, Section A1 Harris, Cathleen A2 Foley, Michael R. A2 Strong, Jr., Thomas H. A2 Garite, Thomas J. SR Print(0) ID 1115791248 T1 Trauma and Pregnancy T2 Obstetric Intensive Care Manual, 4e YR 2015 FD 2015 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071820134 LK obgyn.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1115791248 RD 2024/11/13 AB Trauma is a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The incidence of trauma during pregnancy has been estimated to be 3% to 8%. In 2002, there were 16,982 injury hospitalizations of pregnant women in the United States, which corresponds to 4.1 per 1000 deliveries.1 However, many more women seeking care for injuries do not require inpatient care. A study of 295 women with injuries during 2001 to 2005 showed that 52% were discharged from the emergency department (ED), and only 18% were admitted to the trauma service.2 In one study, 1 in 7 pregnant women sought care for injury in Massachusetts during 2002 to 2003. For some subgroups, the rate was as high as 1 in 4.3 Analysis using American College of Surgeons National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) confirmed that pregnant patients tend to be younger, less severely injured, and more often black or Hispanic when compared to nonpregnant controls. Twenty per cent of pregnant patients tested positive for drugs or alcohol, and 1 in 3 involved in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) did not use seat belts.4 Other studies agree that trauma is more common among adolescents, black women, those with public insurance, less than high school education, substance abuse, or lack of safety restraints.3,5