Insurance reports were retrospectively examined to determine the nature of injuries to pregnant Japanese women involved in low speed rear-end collisions between 1994 and 2003 relative to fetal and neonatal outcomes. Data were colleted from 46 pregnant women whose mean and gestational ages (and ± standard deviation) were 29.4 ± 5.1 y and 13.4 ± 11.1 weeks, respectively, at the time of the accident. Over 90% of the women had an injury severity score of 0 or 1. Injury severity scores, Abbreviated Injury Scale scores of the head or neck, the abdomen, the extremities, and the likelihood of having sustained direct external forces to the lumbar region during the accident did not significantly differ between women with healthy and abortion outcomes. Predicting abortion based on the severity of maternal injury is difficult. All pregnant women involved in even minor crashes should immediately seek medical attention. Further biomechanical investigations are required to understand the relationship between the effect of lumbar or pelvic load and negative fetal outcomes. (Author/publisher)
Abstract