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Umbilical cord prolapse: a true obstetrical emergency
1Department of Emergency Medicine, East Liverpool City Hospital, Ohio.
The case of a 23-year-old woman with umbilical cord prolapse and fetal distress is described. This serious obstetrical complication is unfamiliar to many emergency physicians although it represents an acute emergency with high mortality. Appropriate prehospital, emergency department, and obstetrical suite care is discussed including a bladder-filling technique and tocolysis that can buy valuable time by temporarily relieving pressure on the cord.
The case of a 23-year-old woman with umbilical cord prolapse and fetal distress is described. This serious obstetrical complication is unfamiliar to many emergency physicians although it represents an acute emergency with high mortality. Appropriate prehospital, emergency department, and obstetrical suite care is discussed including a bladder-filling technique and tocolysis that can buy valuable time by temporarily relieving pressure on the cord.