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Cite this article:
Damien Punguyire, Kenneth Victor Iserson. A ruptured uterus in a pregnant woman not in labor. The Pan African Medical Journal. 2011;8:2 Key words: Pregnancy, grand multiparity, ruptured uterus, ultrasound diagnosis, nurse education, Ghana Permanent link: http://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/content/article/8/2/full Received: 09/01/2011 - Accepted: 10/01/2011 - Published: 19/01/2011 © Damien Punguyire et al. The Pan African Medical Journal - ISSN 1937-8688. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
A ruptured uterus in a pregnant woman not in labor
Damien Punguyire1, Kenneth Victor Iserson2,&
1Kintampo Municipal Hospital, Kintampo, Ghana, 2University of Arizona, USA
&Corresponding Author
Kenneth Victor Iserson, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arizona, 4930 N. Calle Faja, Tucson, AZ, Tel: +1 520 241 7744, Fax: +1 520 529 6459, USA
Abstract
Reducing maternal mortality constitutes one of the eight Millennium Development Goals. While significant progress has been made, system issues and professional training continue to affect maternal survival, especially when unusual, but deadly, complications arise. This rare case of survival after the rupture of an unscarred uterus in a grand multiparous woman from a remote village in Ghana illustrates how systemic transportation issues and limited access to advanced medical care put women with obstetric complications at risk. The usual clinical presentation of ruptured uteri and methods to prevent this catastrophic event are discussed. This case illustrates the systemic transportation issue that often limits access to prenatal and emergency care throughout much of the developing world and demonstrates how advanced training for emergency nurses and the use of ultrasound diagnosis can expedite difficult diagnoses and lead to maternal survival, even in the most adverse circumstances.
