Placenta previa versus abruption
NCLEX-RN glossary · Health Promotion And Maintenance
Definition
Two critical causes of third-trimester bleeding: previa is the low implantation of the placenta; abruption is the premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall.
Placenta previa versus abruption in plain English
Must differentiate by cues: previa presents as painless, bright-red bleeding; abruption involves severe abdominal pain and dark-red or concealed bleeding. A common mistake is performing a manual vaginal examination on a patient with undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, which can cause catastrophic hemorrhage in placenta previa.
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