Minimal-trauma ankle fractures predominate during pregnancy: a 17-year retrospective study

Trauma in pregnancy: A narrative review of the current literature

INTRODUCTION

Trauma accounts for nearly half of all deaths of pregnant women. Pregnant women have distinct physiologic and anatomic characteristics which complicate their management following major trauma.

OBJECTIVE

This paper comprises a narrative review of the most recent literature informing the management of pregnant trauma patients.

DISCUSSION

The incidence of trauma during pregnancy is 6-8%. The focus of clinical assessment must be on the mother, starting with the primary survey. During airway management, clinicians should consider early intubation if necessary and utilize gastric tubes to minimize the risk of aspiration. Pregnant women experience progesterone-mediated hyperventilation, and normal PaCO2 levels may portend imminent respiratory failure. Clinicians should utilize left lateral tilt in hypotensive pregnant women to displace the uterus off the inferior vena cava. Ultrasonography is an attractive imaging modality for pregnant women which is specific for ruling in intraabdominal hemorrhage but not sufficiently sensitive to exclude this diagnosis. Clinicians should not hesitate to order computed tomography imaging in unstable patients if there is diagnostic ambiguity. Cardiotocographic monitoring simultaneously assesses uterine contractions and fetal heart rate and should last at least 4 h for pregnant women following even minor abdominal trauma if their fetus has achieved viable gestational age (approximately 24 weeks). In the event of cardiac arrest, peri-mortem cesarean section may improve outcomes for the mother and fetus alike. Unique specific complications include uterine rupture and placental abruption, which require emergent resuscitation and obstetrics consultation for definitive management. Emergency clinicians should maintain a low threshold for transfer to a tertiary care center given correlations between even isolated and relatively minor traumatic injuries with adverse fetal and maternal outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Trauma is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnant women. Emergency clinicians must understand the evaluation and management of pregnant trauma patients.

Proceedings of the 2023 Santa Fe Bone Symposium: Progress and Controversies in the Management of Patients with Skeletal Diseases

The Santa Fe Bone Symposium (SFBS) held its 23rd annual event on August 5-6, 2023, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Attendees participated in-person and remotely, representing many states and countries. The program included plenary presentations, panel discussions, satellite symposia, a Project ECHO workshop, and a session on healthcare policy and reimbursement for fracture liaison programs. A broad range of topics were addressed, including transitions of osteoporosis treatments over a lifetime; controversies in vitamin D; update on Official Positions of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry; spine surgery and bone health; clinical applications of bone turnover markers; basic bone biology for clinicians; premenopausal-, pregnancy-, and lactation-associated osteoporosis; cancer treatment induced bone loss in patients with breast cancer and prostate cancer; genetic testing for skeletal diseases; and an update on nutrition and bone health. There were also sessions on rare bone diseases, including managing patients with hypophosphatasia; treatment of X-linked hypophosphatemia; and assessment and treatment of patients with hypoparathyroidism. There were oral presentations of abstracts by endocrinology fellows selected from those who participated in the Santa Fe Fellows Workshop on Metabolic Bone Diseases, held the 2 days prior to the SFBS. These proceedings of the 2023 SFBS present the clinical highlights and insights generated from many formal and informal discussions in Santa Fe.

Gebelik Dönemindeki Potansiyel Kas-İskelet Sistemi Sorunları

Gebelik sırasında kadınlarda çeşitli fizyolojik ve anatomik değişiklikler meydana gelmektedir. Bu biyomekanik, hormonal ve vasküler değişiklikler gebelik ilerledikçe belirginleşmektedir. Kas-iskelet sistemi bu değişimlerden en çok etkilenen sistemlerden biridir. Gebelikle ilişkili kas-iskelet sistemi problemlerinin başında bel ağrısı gelmekte ve bunu sırt ağrısı, el-el bilek ağrısı ve kalça ağrısı takip etmektedir. Gebelikle ilişkili bu problemlerin çoğu gebelikten sonraki aylarda düzelmektedir. Ancak bazı gebelerde ciddi ağrı ve dizabiliteye neden olmaktadır. Bu nedenle, gebelik döneminde görülen kas-iskelet sistemi problemlerinin erken tanınması, koruyucu önlemlerin alınması ve bireysel tedavinin planlanması önemlidir. Bu yazıda, gebelik döneminde görülen kas-iskelet sistemi değişiklikleri, sık görülen patolojiler ve bu problemlerin tedavisi ile ilgili güncel literatürün gözden geçirilmesi amaçlanmaktadır.

The Pregnant Patient - Why Do My Feet Hurt?

Although hormonal and anatomical changes that occur during pregnancy have been well documented, how these changes affect foot and ankle function are less understood. Changes during pregnancy in body mass, body-mass distribution, joint laxity, and muscle strength can all contribute to alterations in gait pattern that can lead to pain or injury to the foot and ankle. This review provides an overview of the various foot and ankle anatomic, biomechanic, and kinematic changes that occur during pregnancy. In addition, this article presents the most common causes of foot and ankle symptoms expressed by the pregnant patient population and discuss the management and treatment of each condition.

Pregnancy in women with osteogenesis imperfecta: pregnancy characteristics, maternal, and neonatal outcomes

BACKGROUND

Women with rare diseases, such as osteogenesis imperfecta, may consider pregnancy, although data regarding outcomes, specific risks, and management strategies are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

The Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium of the National Institute of Health Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network established an Osteogenesis Imperfecta Pregnancy Registry to collect and evaluate pregnancy, maternal, and neonatal outcomes in women with osteogenesis imperfecta.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional, survey-based study. Appropriate participants of the Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium Contact Registry were invited to participate in the study. Self-reported information regarding pregnancy characteristics and maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with osteogenesis imperfecta was compared with that of the general population, referenced by literature-based standards. Furthermore, compared with the general population, cohorts of women and fetuses with osteogenesis imperfecta were evaluated to determine whether the presence of osteogenesis imperfecta conveyed an increase in antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum complications and an increase in adverse neonatal outcomes.

RESULTS

Here, a total 132 participants completed the survey. Compared with the general population, women with osteogenesis imperfecta had higher rates of diabetes in pregnancy (13.3% vs 7%; 95% confidence interval, 7.0-19.6; P=.049), cesarean delivery (68.5% vs 32.7%; 95% confidence interval, 59.9-77.1; P<.001), need for blood transfusion (8.3% vs 1.5%; 95% confidence interval, 3.9-12.8; P=.019), and antepartum and postpartum fractures (relative risk, 221; 95% confidence interval, 59.3-823; P<.001). Maternal hospitalization and cesarean delivery rates were higher in individuals with moderate or severe osteogenesis imperfecta than women who reported mild osteogenesis imperfecta. Neonates born to women with osteogenesis imperfecta had higher risk of being low (26.2% vs 6.8%; P<.001) or very low birthweight (13.8% vs 1.4%; P<.001) infants than the general population. Neonates born to women with osteogenesis imperfecta had a higher rate of neonatal intensive care unit admissions (19% vs 5.68%; P<.001) and higher neonatal mortality at 28 days of life (4.8% vs 0.4%; P=.026), regardless of neonatal osteogenesis imperfecta status.

CONCLUSION

Pregnancies for women with osteogenesis imperfecta are at an increased risk of complications, including hemorrhage, fractures, diabetes mellitus, and increased neonatal morbidity.