34 - Major traumaincluding road traffic accidents

Summary

Trauma is a leading cause of non-obstetric maternal death. Blunt trauma and penetrating trauma are the two major mechanisms of injury. The initial sequence of trauma resuscitation follows the standard ABCDE approach to trauma: (i) airway maintenance with cervical spine protection (ii) breathing and ventilation (iii) circulation with haemorrhage control (iv) disability: neurological status (v) exposure and environmental control. The risk of ionising radiation depends on gestation and exposure intensity, which in turn depends on the number of rads used and the number of times a procedure is performed. Fetal maternal haemorrhage (FMH) occurs in up to 30 percentage of obstetric trauma patients. Despite advances in trauma management, education has been shown to be one of the most effective techniques in decreasing mortality. Education must focus on seatbelt use, domestic violence, and drug and alcohol abuse.