Traumatic injury is the most common indication for nonobstetric surgery during pregnancy.The normal physiologic changes that occur during pregnancy increase the challenge of evaluation and treatment when pregnant women are victims of trauma.Select the statements which best describe considerations in perioperative assessment of the pregnant trauma patient.

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Blood pressure normally decreases during midpregnancy then rises back to prepregnant levels in the third trimester (after 27 weeks' gestation).This drop is because of progesterone's effect on smooth muscle.Gastric emptying slows,increasing the risk of aspiration.Cephalad displacement of the bladder makes it more vulnerable to injury.Fibrinogen levels are normally increased significantly in pregnancy,so that low or even low-normal levels should be a cause for concern in the gravid patient.The changes in the coagulation factors,in addition to increased venous stasis,result in a hypercoagulable state in pregnancy.Plasma volume increases by 50%,resulting in a relative resistance to limited blood loss.

Traumatic Injury Is the Most Common Indication for Nonobstetric Surgery