September 29, 2016

Deliveries that occur in the emergency department are high-risk and high-stress situations. ED OB patients often have little or no prenatal care, and ED births have a higher perinatal mortality. The emergency provider needs to expect the unexpected, including precipitous delivery, shoulder dystocia, malpresentation, umbilical cord emergencies, hemorrhage, and multiple gestations. In this post, we explore what to do in these dangerous situations.