Abruptio Placentae, commonly known as Placental abruption, is a pregnancy complication where the lining of the placenta gets separated from the uterus of the mother. Abruptio Placentae is the most common cause of late pregnancy bleeding. Generally, placental abruption refers to the abnormal separation after 20 weeks of the gestation period and before child birth. This complication of pregnancy occurs in 1% of pregnancies throughout the world, with a fetal mortality rate of 20 percent to 40 percent, depending on the separation degree of the placenta. Placental abruption also plays the role of a significant contributor to maternal mortality. With the severity of the abruption can also affect the heart rate of the fetus.
Symptoms of Abruptio Placentae
The four common and major symptoms of Abruptio Placentae include: pain in the uterus, occasional vaginal bleeding, fell of tenderness in the abdomen, and unstoppable contractions. The patient can have all or some of these symptoms and signs indicating that she is undergoing placental abruption.
Risk Factors of Abruptio Placentae
Some of the relevant risk factors of placental abruption are as follows:
- Maternal trauma like falls, motor vehicle accidents, nosocomial, or assaults
- Maternal hypertension, playing a major factor in 44% of all placental abruptions
- Use of drug is also a factor, especially cocaine, tobacco, and alcohol
- The umbilical cord shortens
- Retroplacental fibromyoma
- Prolonged rupture of membranes
Previous abruption can also be a risk factor. If the woman underwent an abruption in the previous pregnancies then she is at greater risk.
Another risk factor is the maternal age. Pregnant women younger than 20 years or older that 35 years, are at greater risk.
These risk factors of placental abruption can be effectively reduced by following a good diet that includes intake of folic acid, no smoking or drinking alcohol, and regular sleep patterns.
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Effects of Abruptio Placentae
On the Mother: The mother experiences large loss of blood or hemorrhage that can require intensive care and blood transfusion after childbirth. She may also have problems related to blood clotting for a few days. The uterus may not contract properly after giving birth, so the mother might require medication for her uterus contraction. In severe cases of blood clotting, the doctor may consider a hysterectomy. There may be severe cases of shock also when other organs get affected, like the pituitary gland, kidney, and liver.
On the Baby: If a large amount of the placenta gets separated from the uterus, the baby may be in distress with a low level of oxygen in the blood till delivery. The baby can also be premature and needs to be kept in the newborn intensive care unit.
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