Motor vehicle crashes, pregnancy loss and preterm labor

Trauma during pregnancy is remarkably common, and is greatly underestimated in terms of its contribution to both maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Motor vehicle crashes, falls, assaults, including domestic violence, are all important mechanisms of injury, and clinical algorithms have been developed to manage the injured pregnant women. Focus on recognition and management of the most common injuries seen in pregnant women, namely abruptio placentae and uterine rupture are addressed through hemodynamic stabilization and continuous fetal and uterine contraction monitoring in the women injured beyond 24 weeks' gestation.