Week 2- Complications of Pregnancy and Delivery Flashcards
How would you identify a problem with an OB patient?
- Bleeding
- Foul smelling amniotic fluid
- Decreased LOA
- Prolapse, anything hanging out
- Fever
- Hypotension, hypertension, bradycardia, tachycardia
- No fetal movement
- Excessive discharge
- Changes in vital signs
- Any abdo pain
What are some risk factors the affect pregnancy?
Maternal Risk Factors:
- Being older than 35
- Being younger than 20
- Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol
- Being pregnant with twins, triplets or more
- Having a history of miscarriage
- Obesity or anorexia
What are some health conditions that can complicate pregnancy?
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- High BP (this can stop the placenta from getting enough blood)
- STI’s
- Kidney problems
- Epilepsy
- Anemia
What are some 1st trimester complications?
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Miscarriage
- Hyperemesis
What is Ectopic pregnancy?
- A condition where fertilized egg implants outside your uterus (usually in your fallopian tube 90%)
- Other area include: at the end of tubes- close to ovaries, abdo cavity, low in cervix
- Diagnosed before <12 weeks, occur most often at 6 weeks
What are some causes of ectopic pregnancy?
- Often occurs to damaged fallopian tubes
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (swollen tubes)
- Intrauterine device
- Previous ectopic pregnancy
- Advanced maternal age
- Tobacco
What is the classic triad of ectopic pregnancy?
- Pain
- Amenorrhea (missed periods)
- Vag bleeding
What are the s/s of ectopic pregnancies?
- When ruptured will present with hypotension and shock
- Due to blood in the peritoneal cavity, there may be complaints of shoulder pain due to irritation and this can also cause bradycardia or lack of tachycardia in hypovolemic pt
How do we treat an ectopic pregnancy pt?
- Treat for shock
- IV fluids
- Oxygen
What is miscarriage (spontaneous abortion)?
- The loss of pregnancy naturally before 20 weeks (most happen in 1st trimester)
What causes most miscarriages?
- Chromosomal problems
What is the common treatment for miscarriages?
- Surgical intervention common treatment- dilation and curettage, this removes remaining tissue from inside uterus to prevent infection or vag bleeding
How does miscarriage in a pt present?
- Often presents with bleeding, which can be light with clots and tissue and cramping
- Occurs for approx 1 week
- Can also be massive bleeds with hypovolemia
How do you treat a miscarriaged pt?
- IV fluids
- Oxygen
- Treat for shock
What is hyperemesis gravidarum?
- Severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy
- Vomiting >3 times/day
- Can lead to dehydration
- Vertigo
- Weight loss
- Preterm labor
How do you treat a pt with hyperemesis gravidarum?
- IV fluids
- Oxygen
- Ondansteron or dimenhydrinate
What are some 2nd and 3rd trimester complications?
- Preeclampsia
- Eclampsia
- Gestational diabetes
- Placenta previa
- Abruptio placenta
What is preeclampsia?
- Is a hypertensive disorder, that occurs after 20 weeks
- Can also develop up to 10 weeks after delivery
What are s/s of preeclampsia?
- High BP >140/90
- Severe headache
- Blurred vision
- Upper abdo pain
- N/V
- Proteinuria
- Edema
What is eclampsia?
- When a person with preeclampsia goes into a seizure
How to treat a pt with eclampsia/ preeclampsia?
- Treat for seizure, manage airway (eclampsia)
- Treat for N/V
- Bring to the hospital
What is gestational diabetes?
- Diabetes caused by pregnancy due to carbohydrate metabolism
- Mother is unable to produce and use all the insulin required
- Oral hypoglycemic drugs are contraindicated due to their safety profile in pregnancy
- One baby is delivered, condition often resolves, but can reoccur later in life
What are the s/s of gestational diabetes?
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Sugar in urine
- Frequent bladder and skin infections
- Yeast infections
- Blurred vision
- Drt mouth
What is placenta previa?
- When the placenta partially or fully covers the cervix; this is easy to detect on u/s
- Can occur when blastocyst implants too close to cervix
- Fetus will be unable to deliver vaginally if placenta is fully covering the cervix
- Bleeding is normally bright red and painless
- Delivering fetus can rupture placenta causing massive blood loss
What are ths s/s of placenta previa?
- Asymptomatic
- Painless bleeding bright red
What is abruptio placenta?
- Partial/ full detachment of placenta at 20 weeks; occurs when vascular structures are torn away from uterine lining
Abruptio Placenta pt presentation?
- Can cause significant occult (concealed) bleed or can present as vag bleeding
- Pt has complaint of severe abdo pain, sometimes describes as tearing
Abruptio placenta risk factors include:
- Trauma
- Multiple fetuses
- Short umbilical cord
- Previous c-section
- Preeclampsia/ eclampsia
What are the s/s of abruptio placenta?
- Can include vag bleeding
- Contractions that don’t relax
- Abdo pain
What is amniotic fluid embolism (AFE)?
- AFE is when amniotic fluid, fetal cells, hair or other debris enters into the maternal pulmonary circulation, causing cardiovascular collapse
- Typically occurs in labour or 30 mins after delivery
What is the pt presentation of AFE?
- Pt may present much like a massive PE with dyspnea
- Increased WOB
- Hypoxia
- Hypotension
- Possibly cardiac arrest
Trauma in pregnant pt’s
- MVC’s, Assaults, and falls
- 60-70% of fetal loss is reported from minor injury.
- Seat belts are often worn improperly due to a fear of hurting the infant
What to remember when dealing with trauma?
- You’re treating 2 pt’s, not one
- Mortality of the infant relies on the mother, prehospital tx should be maximized for maternal survival
- In cardiac arrest, with a futile prognosis, ongoing CPR and transport should occur to a hospital cable of emergency c-section
Twins and Complications
- 40-50% will be preterm
- 2nd twin will often “Malpresentation due to significant room to move, once 1st infant is delivered
- Cord prolapse
- PPH- overdistension of the uterus may result in uterine atony. Higher incidence of mean blood loss with twins