Enhancing Maternal Survival in Traumatic Cardiovascular Collapse during Pregnancy: A Case Series on Resuscitative Hysterotomy (RH) from a Level 1 Trauma Center

Trauma during pregnancy presents multifaceted risks to both the developing fetus and the expectant mother due to pregnancy-induced physiological adaptations that affect the response to traumatic injuries. The infrequent occurrence of cardiac arrest during pregnancy necessitates interventions such as perimortem cesarean section (PMCS), now termed resuscitative hysterotomy. While early resuscitative hysterotomy focused primarily on fetal survival, more recent literature reports substantial maternal benefits. Resuscitative hysterotomy can lead to the restoration of maternal pulse and blood pressure within minutes and has shown potential to improve maternal outcomes. RH has been demonstrated to aid in fetal and maternal survival in hemodynamic unstable pregnant patients before cardiovascular collapse. The linguistic change from PMCS to resuscitative hysterotomy is a shift towards maternal-centric approaches and survival.