The effect of traffic accidents on pregnancy: is hospitalization necessary in every case?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to show whether it is necessary to hospitalize pregnant women who have been involved in traffic accidents. METHODS:Patients at a hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, who underwent traffic accidents between 2012 and 2018 were studied, and pregnant patients' files were evaluated. Demographic and obstetric features of patients, type of accident, type of trauma, Glasgow Coma Score, whether or not hospitalization were examined, the response of patients to hospitalization, and the obstetric and maternal results of accidents were assessed. RESULTS:In the present study, 95 patients were included. Overall, hospitalization was recommended for 50 patients, but of these, 58% refused to be admitted. No patients who refused hospitalization had complications. Preterm labor was seen in 3.2% of patients, while 3.2% had a fetal loss and 5.3% had a placental abruption. Only one mother was lost (1.1%) due to sustaining multiple traumas in a traffic accident. Hospitalization was increasingly indicated with increasing gestational age, but other parameters had no effect on hospitalization. CONCLUSION:The likelihood that hospitalization was recommended for pregnant women involved in traffic accidents increased with gestational age. Patients with minor trauma who refused hospitalization had no complications.

Maternal outcomes in association with motor vehicle crashes during pregnancy: a nationwide population-based retrospective study

“…A possible explanation for this phenomenon might be that such women had no complications and they s assessed themselves that they did not need any extra treatment after the MVCs. 26 We found that pregnant women who visited the clinic but had no injury-related diagnosis after MVCs were also at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including premature rupture of membranes, placental abruption, antepartum haemorrhage and caesarean delivery, compared with those who were not involved in MVCs. Our findings broadly support the work of a previous study, in which crashes resulting in no injury could increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.…”

“…However, pregnant women who did not seek clinical treatment had no significant risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. A possible explanation for this phenomenon might be that such women had no complications and they s assessed themselves that they did not need any extra treatment after the MVCs 26…”

Profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017

“…Consequently, few studies have addressed the characteristics of pregnant women involved in MVC in Asian countries. Even a study conducted in Turkey showed that 73% of patients were involved in car accidents (Soysal et al 2021 ). This can lead to misunderstandings regarding the appropriate target population, mainly because of notable differences in road conditions and the type of vehicle used between different countries.…”