MDCast: A Tale of Two Patients - Trauma in Pregnancy

About this episode

This episode discusses the complexities of managing trauma in pregnant patients with insights from maternal-fetal medicine specialists.

In this episode of FlightBridgeED, Dr. Mike Lauria is joined by maternal-fetal medicine specialists Dr. Alex Pfeiffer and Dr. Liz Gartner for a practical, transport-focused deep dive into trauma in pregnancy . With maternal morbidity and mortality rising in the U.S. and more obstetric patients requiring transfer from smaller facilities, the team breaks down what changes when you’re managing trauma with two patients sharing one circulation —and how pregnancy can mask shock until both mom and fetus suddenly decompensate. They walk through the pregnancy-specific physiology that matters most in the field: increased blood volume and cardiac output, decreased SVR, and why hypotension is a late sign . You’ll hear why “normal blood pressure doesn’t equal normal perfusion,” how to recognize early compensated shock (including subtle mental-status changes and agitation), and the key resuscitation tweaks that make a major difference—especially oxygenation and ventilation targets that are tighter than what you might accept in non-pregnant trauma patients. The conversation also covers the highest-yield operational pieces for EMS and critical care transport crews: aortocaval compression after…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Mike Lauria

Guests: Dr. Alex Pfeiffer, Dr. Liz Gartner

Topics covered

• trauma in pregnancy
• maternal-fetal medicine
• emergency medical services
• critical care transport
• obstetric patients
• physiology in pregnancy

Keywords

• maternal morbidity
• shock in pregnancy
• blood pressure
• oxygenation
• ventilation targets
• aortocaval compression
• placental abruption
• fetal heart tones

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FlightBridgeED

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