evaluation of mother and fetus after a traumatic event: an overview

Trauma due to accidents or violence is a common complication during pregnancies. every woman in reproductive age who has been admitted due to trauma should be considered pregnant until proven otherwise. a multidisciplinary approach is usually warranted to optimize the outcome for both the mother and her fetus and some headlines should always be taken into consideration when dealing with a pregnant trauma patient. in major trauma, obstetrician consultation should be done as soon as possible. you should not delay indicated radiographic studies due to concerns regarding fetal exposure to radiation. it is preferable to perform one computed tomography (ct) scan with iodinated contrast rather than multiple suboptimal imaging procedures without contrast. physiologic changes during pregnancy put injured pregnant woman at increased risk, necessitates special attention. in this paper we try to overview on some important aspects of a pregnant trauma patient management.