TRAUMA IN PREGNANCY - THE ROLE OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine what role interpersonal violen ce as intentional injury plays in the pregnant trauma victim. STUDY DE SIGN: We performed a retrospective review of medical records. RESULTS: During a 9-year period in a single university medical and trauma cent er, 203 pregnant women were treated for a physically traumatic event. Sixty-four women (31.5%) were victims of intentional injury, in most c ases by the husband or boyfriend. Although the mean Injury Severity Sc ore was higher in women with fetal death than in women with successful pregnancy outcomes (7.25 vs 1.74, respectively; p < 0.01), 5 of the 8 women with fetal losses incurred these despite an apparent absence of physical injury (maternal Injury Severity Score = 0). CONCLUSIONS: In terpersonal violence during pregnancy is a frequent and increasingly c ommon cause of maternal injury. The inconstant relationship between In jury Severity Score and serious fetal injury or death is underscored b y the loss of 5 fetuses despite an Injury Severity Score of 0.