Detection of unknown early pregnancy. A matter of safety.

Almost 2% of females admitted as accident victims to a general hospital-teaching facility were pregnant without their physicians knowing it. Emergency treatment of such patients may overshadow other aspects of holistic care and have adverse consequences when a pregnancy is unrecognized. These cases illustrate the importance of always performing a complete physical examination and obtaining a good history that includes menstrual data. When appropriate, we recommend routine use of the serum human chorionic gonadotropin test for pregnancy. It is a simple and reliable means of detecting pregnancy by ten days after nidation, and its use protects the patient, physician, and unborn child. Safer health service is the result.