Abstract

Background: Gunshot wounds to the abdomen during pregnancy are becoming increasingly common. Firearm injuries are the second leading cause in all traumatic fetal injury deaths due to maternal injury.
Case Report: A 23-year-old, gravida 1, para 0 pregnant woman who sustained a left lumbo-sacral gunshot wound at 33 weeks’ gestation by father-in-law accidentally applied to our obstetrics clinic. We performed a cesarean delivery to deliver a male infant which Apgar scores of 4 in the first minute and the baby died in postoperative day 1. A buckshot fragment was noted in the right fetal heel. Fourteen days later operation, the mother discharged with paraparesis and hypoesthesia at right foot. Recovery was obtained in motor and neuronal functions such as walking and standing in the postoperative third month.
Conclusions: The expeditious diagnosis and rapid surgical intervention of the pregnant trauma patient is essential for the survival of the effected mother and fetus and a successful outcome can be achieved with a multidisciplinary approach.

Keywords: Wounds, Gunshot, Pregnancy Trimester, Third, Morbidity, Firearms, Spinal Cord Injuries