Get your head back in the gutter! Where to look on Point of Care Ultrasound for early ectopic pregnancy rupture
ePoster
Authors: Kyle Flattery, University of Pennsylvania Jeffrey Kramer, University of Pennsylvania Nova Panebianco, University of Pennsylvania
This case discusses how a 24-year-old woman, G2P0010 at 5w6d by last menstrual period, was discovered to have a ruptured right-sided Fallopian tube ectopic pregnancy after her third visit to the ED in one week for pregnancy of unknown location, with concerns initially raised by vaginal bleeding and subsequently by severe hypogastric pain. This situation addresses not only the utility of POCUS in first trimester pregnancy in general, but also how a diagnosis can progress over time from one provider to another. Her diagnosis was luckily caught in time by her medical team, which allowed her to receive expedited surgical management, and avoid the sometimes-fatal complications of a ruptured ectopic pregnancy.