What it means
Also called placental abruption. The placenta peels away from the uterus during pregnancy or labor, partly or fully, cutting off the baby's supply of oxygen and causing bleeding in the mother. It usually causes sudden abdominal pain and a firm, tender, often rigid uterus, with dark red vaginal bleeding; the bleeding can be hidden behind the placenta. Risk factors include high blood pressure, cocaine use, smoking and abdominal trauma.
For the nurse
This is an emergency. Monitor the fetal heart rate and the mother's vital signs and bleeding, place her on her side, start IV access and prepare for a possible emergency birth.
At a glance
| Spanish | desprendimiento prematuro de placenta |
|---|---|
| Also written | placental abruption |
Easy to confuse with
placenta previa
A placenta that lies low in the uterus and partly or completely covers the opening of the cervix.
Related terms
hemorrhage
A large loss of blood from a blood vessel, inside the body or out of it.
hypovolemic shock
Shock from a large loss of blood or body fluid, so there is too little volume in the blood vessels to supply the organs.
fetal
Relating to a fetus, the unborn baby from the ninth week of pregnancy until birth.
placenta previa
A placenta that lies low in the uterus and partly or completely covers the opening of the cervix.