Management of ectopic pregnancy in the military during deployment to Southwest Asia.

BACKGROUND

Expeditionary military facilities care for deployed military personnel. They deploy with limited equipment and personnel to austere environments. Female military personnel are deployed forward in a support capacity. Under these conditions, ectopic pregnancy continues to be a potential catastrophe leading to maternal death.

CASES: We report three cases of ectopic pregnancy in forward-deployed personnel. The random occurrence and different clinical presentations emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and management.

CONCLUSION

During austere remote deployments, early diagnosis and evacuation of patients with ectopic pregnancy may make the difference between excellent outcomes and maternal death.