The OB-ED at Orange Coast Medical Center is open 24/7 and offers enhanced coverage to pregnant women with obstetrical concerns. The OB-ED assesses, treats, and discharges obstetrical patients and ensures that a board-certified obstetrician evaluates every patient to help improve patient safety.
When a pregnant patient comes to the Emergency Department (ED) with symptoms such as abdominal pain or a bladder infection, she is transferred to a designated area in the labor and delivery unit instead of remaining in the ED. If the patient’s primary OB physician is unable to see the patient within 30 minutes due to a delivery or procedure, an OB laborist, who is onsite 24/7, readily examines and treats the patient after being triaged by a dedicated OB-ED nurse.
All women over 20 weeks pregnant are seen by a board-certified obstetrical provider who evaluates her, and her baby’s condition. The following symptoms may prompt an expecting mother to be seen in the OB-ED:
- Abdominal pain
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- Concern about pre-term labor
- Conditions related to high-risk pregnancy (such as high blood pressure)
- Decreased fetal movement
- Ruptured membranes
- Urinary tract or bladder infections