Clinics in perinatology
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Pregnancy does not predispose to thermal injuries. Most burns are minor, and erythema usually subsides within 24 hours during the outpatient therapy. Severe burns during pregnancy are rare but alarming events. ⋯ Periodic ultrasonic examination and biophysical testing of the fetus are recommended. If conditions are considered unfavorable to meet fetal circulatory and oxygen demands, prompt delivery during the late second and third trimesters has been advocated if the mother's burn covers 50 per cent or more of the surface area. If the patient has instead recovered satisfactorily and there has been no evidence of fetal jeopardy or premature labor within the first week following the burn injury, the eventual delivery of a healthy-appearing, term-sized fetus is quite likely.
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In summary, trauma occurs relatively frequently among pregnant patients. Various anatomic and physiologic changes of pregnancy may alter the type of injury experienced by pregnant women. These changes may also alter the manifestations of given injuries and the treatment required to reestablish maternal-fetal hemostasis. ⋯ Rarely, a mother may expire with her living fetus undelivered, and a rapid postmortem cesarean section may save the fetal life. During the last several years, the prognosis for both trauma victims and gravid women with complicated pregnancies and their fetuses has improved markedly. Hopefully, during the next several years, the knowledge and therapeutic modalities developed to treat each group will be combined to provide optimal care for the pregnant trauma victim and her fetus.