• G V Poole, J N Martin, K G Perry, J A Griswold, C J Lambert, and R S Rhodes.
• Department of Surgery, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, 39216-4505, USA.
• Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 1996 Jun 1;174(6):1873-7; discussion 1877-8.

ObjectiveOur purpose was to determine what role interpersonal violence as intentional injury plays in the pregnant trauma victim.Study DesignWe performed a retrospective review of medical records.ResultsDuring a 9-year period in a single university medical and trauma center, 203 pregnant women were treated for a physically traumatic event. Sixty-four women (31.5%) were victims of intentional injury, in most cases by the husband or boyfriend. Although the mean Injury Severity Score was higher in women with fetal death than in women with successful pregnancy outcomes (7.25 vs 1.74, respectively; p < 0.01), 5 of the 8 women with fetal losses incurred these despite an apparent absence of physical injury (maternal Injury Severity Score = 0).ConclusionsInterpersonal violence during pregnancy is a frequent and increasingly common cause of maternal injury. The inconsistent relationship between Injury Severity Score and serious fetal injury or death is underscored by the loss of 5 fetuses despite an Injury Severity Score of 0.

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