Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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Trauma is the leading cause of nonobstetric maternal death. Pregnant patients have a similar spectrum of traumatic injuries with a noted increase in interpersonal violence. ⋯ Optimal management requires understanding of physiologic changes in pregnancy, a team-based approach, and preparation for interventions that may including neonatal resuscitation. The principles of trauma management are the same in pregnancy with a systematic approach and initial maternal focused resuscitation..
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · May 2023
ReviewSpontaneous and Complicated Therapeutic Abortion in the Emergency Department.
Pregnancy-related emergency department visits are common in the United States. Although typically managed safely in the outpatient setting, patients with spontaneous abortion may also present with life-threatening hemorrhage or infection. ⋯ Surgical management of complicated therapeutic abortion is similar to that of spontaneous abortion. The dramatic changes in the legal status of abortion in the United States may have significant influence on the incidence of complicated therapeutic abortion, and we encourage emergency physicians to familiarize themselves with the diagnosis and management of these conditions.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · May 2023
ReviewEmergency Gynecologic Considerations in the Older Woman.
As women mature through menopause, they will experience normal physiologic changes that can contribute to emergency complaints specific to this patient population. Reviewing the expected physiologic changes of menopause and correlating these normal processes to the development of specific pathologic conditions offers a framework for emergency physicians and practitioners to use when evaluating older women for breast, genitourinary, and gynecologic symptoms.
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Pregnancy is a time of tremendous physiologic change and vulnerability. At any point, symptoms and complications can prompt the need for emergency care, and these can range from minor to life-threatening. ⋯ To optimally care for these patients, it is paramount to be aware of the unique physiologic changes that occur during pregnancy. The focus of this review is to discuss illnesses unique to pregnancy and additional aspects of resuscitation that must be considered when caring for a critically ill pregnant patient.
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In this article, we discuss the major nonobstetric surgical complications that may occur in pregnancy. We highlight specific diagnostic challenges particularly with imaging modalities and radiation considerations for the fetus. Topics covered in this article include appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, gallstone disease, hepatic rupture, perforated peptic ulcer, mesenteric venous thrombosis, splenic artery aneurysm rupture, and aortic dissection.