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Women and Birth : Journal of the... Feb 2024Reducing preventable perinatal deaths is the focus of perinatal death surveillance and response programmes. Standardised review tools can help identify modifiable... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Reducing preventable perinatal deaths is the focus of perinatal death surveillance and response programmes. Standardised review tools can help identify modifiable factors in perinatal deaths.
AIM
This systematic review aimed to identify, compare, and appraise perinatal mortality review tools (PMRTs) in upper-middle to high-income countries.
METHODS
Four major scientific databases were searched for publications relating to perinatal death reviews. There were no restrictions on date, study, or publication type. Professional websites for each country were searched for relevant material. The Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation Health Systems (AGREE-HS) checklist was used for quality appraisal of each tool. A narrative synthesis was used to describe and compare tools.
FINDINGS
Ten PMRTs were included. Five PMRTs were from high-income countries, four from upper-middle income countries and one was designed for use in a global context. The structure, content, and quality of each PMRT varied. Each tool collected information about the antepartum, intrapartum, and neonatal periods and a section to classify perinatal deaths using a standardised classification system. All tools reviewed the care provided. Five tools included recommendation development for changes to clinical care. Four tools mentioned parent involvement in the review process. For quality appraisal, one review tool scored "high quality", six scored "moderate quality" and two scored "poor quality".
CONCLUSION
There is little standardisation when it comes to PMRTs. Guidance on structuring PMRTs in a standardised way is needed. Recommendation development from a review is important to highlight changes to care required to reduce preventable perinatal deaths.
Topics: Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy; Parturition; Perinatal Death; Perinatal Mortality; Stillbirth; Software
PubMed: 37793961
DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2023.09.006 -
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Oct 2023Antepartum and intrapartum hemorrhage from vasa previa (VP) is one of the main causes of intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). Here, we present two cases with type I VP in...
Antepartum and intrapartum hemorrhage from vasa previa (VP) is one of the main causes of intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). Here, we present two cases with type I VP in which velamentous cord insertion below the fetal head and overlying the cervix were reported by prenatal ultrasound scanning, and IUFD occoured after 35 weeks with no signs of prenatal bleeding but with engaged fetal head at presentation. We hypothesized that the IUFD may attributed to the compression of the unprotected umbilical vessels by the engaged fetal head. Thus we suggest that VP with a velamentous cord insertion should be considered for earlier termination of the pregnancy to avoid the risk of non-hemorrhagic adverse fetal outcomes.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Vasa Previa; Fetal Death; Umbilical Cord; Stillbirth; Ultrasonography, Prenatal; Hemorrhage
PubMed: 37789298
DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-06019-0 -
JAMA Network Open Sep 2023Fetal death during labor at term is a complication that is rarely studied in high-income countries. There is a need for large population-based studies to examine the...
IMPORTANCE
Fetal death during labor at term is a complication that is rarely studied in high-income countries. There is a need for large population-based studies to examine the rate of term intrapartum stillbirth in high-income countries and the factors associated with its occurrence.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate trends in term intrapartum stillbirth over time and to investigate the association between the trends and term intrapartum stillbirth risk factors from 1999 to 2018 in Norway.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This cohort study used data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway from 1999 to 2018 to examine rates of term intrapartum stillbirth and risk factors associated with this event. A population of 1 021 268 term singleton pregnancies without congenital anomalies or antepartum stillbirths was included in analyses, which were performed from September 2022 to February 2023.
EXPOSURE
The main exposure variable was time, which was divided into four 5-year periods: 1999 to 2003, 2004 to 2008, 2009 to 2013, and 2014 to 2018.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary study outcome was term intrapartum stillbirth. Risk ratios were calculated, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with secular trends of term intrapartum stillbirth.
RESULTS
The study population consisted of 1 021 268 term singleton births (maternal mean [SD] age, 29.72 [5.01] years; mean [SD] gestational age, 39.69 [1.27] weeks). During the study period, there were 95 term intrapartum stillbirths (0.09 per 1000 births). Maternal age, the proportion of individuals born in a country other than Norway, and the prevalence of gestational diabetes, labor induction, operative vaginal delivery, and previous cesarean delivery increased over the course of the study period. Conversely, the prevalence of infants large for gestational age, hypertensive disorder in pregnancy, and spontaneous vaginal delivery and the proportion of individuals who smoked decreased. The term intrapartum stillbirth rate decreased by 87% (95% CI, 68%-95%) from 0.15 per 1000 births in 1999 to 2008 to 0.02 per 1000 births in 2014 to 2018. Three in 4 term intrapartum stillbirths (70 of 95) occurred during intrapartum operative deliveries. The increased prevalence of older maternal age and obstetric risk factors were not associated with the variation in intrapartum stillbirth rates among the time periods. The prevalence of term intrapartum stillbirth was higher for individuals who gave birth in maternity units with fewer than 3000 annual births (adjusted odds ratio, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.07-2.61) than for those who gave birth in units with 3000 or more annual births.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Findings of this study suggest that, despite increases in maternal and obstetric risk factors, term intrapartum stillbirth rates substantially decreased during the study period. Reasons for this decrease may be due to improvements in intrapartum care.
Topics: Pregnancy; Infant; Humans; Female; Adult; Stillbirth; Cohort Studies; Delivery, Obstetric; Diabetes, Gestational; Norway
PubMed: 37755831
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.34830 -
Reproductive Sciences (Thousand Oaks,... Feb 2024There are approximately 5 million pregnancies per year in the USA, with 1 million ending in miscarriage (a loss occurring prior to 20 weeks of gestation) and over...
There are approximately 5 million pregnancies per year in the USA, with 1 million ending in miscarriage (a loss occurring prior to 20 weeks of gestation) and over 20,000 ending in stillbirth at or beyond 20 weeks of gestation. As many as 50% of these losses are unexplained. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of expanding the placental pathology diagnostic categories to include the explicit categories of (1) dysmorphic chorionic villi and (2) small placenta in examining previously unexplained losses. Using a clinical database of 1256 previously unexplained losses at 6-43 weeks of gestation, the most prevalent abnormality associated with each loss was determined through examination of its placental pathology slides. Of 1256 cases analyzed from 922 patients, there were 878 (69.9%) miscarriages and 378 (30.1%) antepartum stillbirths. We determined the pathologic diagnoses for 1150/1256 (91.6%) of the entire series, 777/878 (88.5%) of the miscarriages (< 20 weeks' gestation), and 373/378 (98.7%) of the stillbirths (≥ 20 weeks' gestation). The most common pathologic feature observed in unexplained miscarriages was dysmorphic chorionic villi (757 cases; 86.2%), a marker associated with genetic abnormalities. The most common pathologic feature observed in unexplained stillbirths was a small placenta (128 cases; 33.9%). Our classification system reinforced the utility of placental examination for elucidating potential mechanisms behind pregnancy loss. The improved rate of diagnosis appeared to be the result of filling a gap in previous pregnancy loss classification systems via inclusion of the categories of dysmorphic chorionic villi and small placenta.
Topics: Pregnancy; Humans; Female; Abortion, Spontaneous; Stillbirth; Placenta; Placenta Diseases; Gestational Age
PubMed: 37725247
DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01344-3 -
MedRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Aug 2023Postpartum women can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to complicated, traumatic childbirth; prevalence of these events remains high in the U.S....
OBJECTIVE
Postpartum women can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to complicated, traumatic childbirth; prevalence of these events remains high in the U.S. Currently, there is no recommended treatment approach in routine peripartum care for preventing maternal childbirth-related PTSD (CB-PTSD) and lessening its severity. Here, we provide a systematic review of available clinical trials testing interventions for the prevention and indication of CB-PTSD.
DATA SOURCES
We conducted a systematic review of PsycInfo, PsycArticles, PubMed (MEDLINE), ClinicalTrials.gov, CINAHL, ProQuest, Sociological Abstracts, Google Scholar, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Scopus through December 2022 to identify clinical trials involving CB-PTSD prevention and treatment.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Trials were included if they were interventional, evaluated CB-PTSD preventive strategies or treatments, and reported outcomes assessing CB-PTSD symptoms. Duplicate studies, case reports, protocols, active clinical trials, and studies of CB-PTSD following stillbirth were excluded.
STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS
Two independent coders evaluated trials using a modified Downs and Black methodological quality assessment checklist. Sample characteristics and related intervention information were extracted via an Excel-based form.
RESULTS
A total of 33 studies, including 25 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 8 non-RCTs, were included. Trial quality ranged from Poor to Excellent. Trials tested psychological therapies most often delivered as secondary prevention against CB-PTSD onset (n=21); some examined primary (n=3) and tertiary (n=9) therapies. Positive treatment effects were found for early interventions employing conventional trauma-focused therapies, psychological counseling, and mother-infant dyadic focused strategies. Therapies' utility to aid women with severe acute traumatic stress symptoms or reduce incidence of CB-PTSD diagnosis is unclear, as is whether they are effective as tertiary intervention. Educational birth plan-focused interventions during pregnancy may improve maternal health outcomes, but studies remain scarce.
CONCLUSIONS
An array of early psychological therapies delivered in response to traumatic childbirth, rather than universally, in the first postpartum days and weeks, may potentially buffer CB-PTSD development. Rather than one treatment being suitable for all, effective therapy should consider individual-specific factors. As additional RCTs generate critical information and guide recommendations for first-line preventive treatments for CB-PTSD, the psychiatric consequences associated with traumatic childbirth could be lessened.
PubMed: 37693410
DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.17.23294230 -
BMJ Open Aug 2023In high mortality settings, prophylactic azithromycin has been shown to improve birth weight and gestational age at birth when administered antenatally, to reduce the...
INTRODUCTION
In high mortality settings, prophylactic azithromycin has been shown to improve birth weight and gestational age at birth when administered antenatally, to reduce the incidence of neonatal infections when administered intrapartum, and to improve survival when administered in infancy. Questions remain regarding whether azithromycin can prevent stillbirths, and regarding the optimal strategy for the delivery of azithromycin to pregnant women and their infants.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
Sauver avec l'Azithromycine en Traitant les Femmes Enceintes et les Enfants (SANTE) is a 2×2 factorial, individually randomised, placebo-controlled, double-masked trial in rural Mali. The primary aims are: (1A) to assess the efficacy of antenatal and intrapartum azithromycin on a composite outcome of stillbirths and infant mortality through 6-12 months and (1B) to assess the efficacy of azithromycin administered concurrently with the first and third doses of pentavalent vaccines (Penta-1/3) on infant mortality through 6-12 months. Pregnant participants (n=49 600) and their infants are randomised 1:1:1:1 to one of four treatment arms: (1) mother and infant receive azithromycin, (2) mother and infant receive placebo, (3) mother receives azithromycin and infant receives placebo or (4) mother receives placebo and infant receives azithromycin. Pregnant participants receive three single 2 g doses: two antepartum and one intrapartum. Infants receive a single 20 mg/kg dose at the Penta-1 and 3 visits. An additional cohort of 12 000 infants is recruited at the Penta-1 visit and randomised 1:1 to receive azithromycin or placebo at the same time points. The SANTE trial will inform guidelines and policies regarding the administration of antenatal and infant azithromycin using routine healthcare delivery platforms.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
This trial was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (Protocol #HP-00084242) and the Faculté de Médecine et d'Odonto-Stomatologie in Mali. The findings of this trial will be published in open access peer-reviewed journals.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT03909737.
Topics: Pregnancy; Infant, Newborn; Female; Infant; Humans; Stillbirth; Azithromycin; Mali; Parturition; Infant Death; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 37648393
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067581 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Aug 2023Endometriosis is a major cause of infertility, and considering its pathophysiology, it is expected to affect pregnancy outcomes as well. This study aimed to evaluate...
Endometriosis is a major cause of infertility, and considering its pathophysiology, it is expected to affect pregnancy outcomes as well. This study aimed to evaluate whether endometriosis is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes after successful conception. Data from singleton pregnancy deliveries between January 2014 and October 2019 were obtained from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. We compared the clinical characteristics and adverse pregnancy outcomes of women with and without endometriosis. A total of 1,251,597 pregnant women were enrolled; of these, 32,951 (2.6%) were assigned to the endometriosis group. Women with endometriosis had significantly more adverse pregnancy outcomes than those without endometriosis. Adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with endometriosis included preterm labor, preterm birth, preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, placenta previa, placental abruption, antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage, and stillbirth. This study also showed an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage, blood transfusion, uterine artery embolization, and cesarean hysterectomy in the endometriosis group compared to the non- endometriosis group. The cesarean delivery rate was significantly higher in the endometriosis group than in the non-endometriosis group, even after excluding cases of antenatal obstetric complications that could increase the risk of cesarean delivery. Women with endometriosis not only have difficulty conceiving, but also have a significantly higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
PubMed: 37629431
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12165392 -
MedRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Aug 2023Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has become a global public health concern since the reemergence of the Indian Ocean lineage and expansion of the Asian genotype. CHIKV...
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has become a global public health concern since the reemergence of the Indian Ocean lineage and expansion of the Asian genotype. CHIKV infection causes acute febrile illness, rash, and arthralgia and during pregnancy may affect both mothers and infants. The mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of CHIKV in Africa remains understudied. We screened 1006 pregnant women at two clinics in Nigeria between 2019 and 2022 and investigated the prevalence and MTCT of CHIKV. Of the 1006, 119 tested positive for CHIKV IgM, of which 36 underwent detailed laboratory tests. While none of the IgM reactive samples were RT-PCR positive, 14 symptomatic pregnant women were confirmed by CHIKV neutralization test. Twelve babies were followed with 8 normal and 4 abnormal outcomes, including stillbirth, cleft lip/palate with microcephaly, preterm delivery, polydactyly with sepsis and jaundice. CHIKV IgM testing identified 3 antepartum transmissions, further studies will determine its impact in antepartum infection.
PubMed: 37609297
DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.05.23293675 -
PLoS Medicine Jul 2023Ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities in obstetric outcomes are well established. However, the role of induction of labour (IOL) to reduce these inequalities is...
Induction of labour at 39 weeks and adverse outcomes in low-risk pregnancies according to ethnicity, socioeconomic deprivation, and parity: A national cohort study in England.
BACKGROUND
Ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities in obstetric outcomes are well established. However, the role of induction of labour (IOL) to reduce these inequalities is controversial, in part due to insufficient evidence. This national cohort study aimed to identify adverse perinatal outcomes associated with IOL with birth at 39 weeks of gestation ("IOL group") compared to expectant management ("expectant management group") according to maternal characteristics in women with low-risk pregnancies.
METHODS AND FINDINGS
All English National Health Service (NHS) hospital births between January 2018 and March 2021 were examined. Using the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) dataset, maternal and neonatal data (demographic, diagnoses, procedures, labour, and birth details) were linked, with neonatal mortality data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Women with a low-risk pregnancy were identified by excluding pregnancies with preexisting comorbidities, previous cesarean section, breech presentation, placenta previa, gestational diabetes, or a baby with congenital abnormalities. Women with premature rupture of membranes, placental abruption, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, amniotic fluid abnormalities, or antepartum stillbirth were excluded only from the IOL group. Adverse perinatal outcome was defined as stillbirth, neonatal death, or neonatal morbidity, the latter identified using the English composite neonatal outcome indicator (E-NAOI). Binomial regression models estimated risk differences (with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)) between the IOL group and the expectant management group, adjusting for ethnicity, socioeconomic background, maternal age, parity, year of birth, and birthweight centile. Interaction tests examined risk differences according to ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and parity. Of the 1 567 004 women with singleton pregnancies, 501 072 women with low-risk pregnancies and with sufficient data quality were included in the analysis. Approximately 3.3% of births in the IOL group (1 555/47 352) and 3.6% in the expectant management group (16 525/453 720) had an adverse perinatal outcome. After adjustment, a lower risk of adverse perinatal outcomes was found in the IOL group (risk difference -0.28%; 95% CI -0.43%, -0.12%; p = 0.001). This risk difference varied according to socioeconomic background from 0.38% (-0.08%, 0.83%) in the least deprived to -0.48% (-0.76%, -0.20%) in the most deprived national quintile (p-value for interaction = 0.01) and by parity with risk difference of -0.54% (-0.80%, -0.27%) in nulliparous women and -0.15% (-0.35%, 0.04%) in multiparous women (p-value for interaction = 0.02). There was no statistically significant evidence that risk differences varied according to ethnicity (p = 0.19). Key limitations included absence of additional confounding factors such as smoking, BMI, and the indication for induction in the HES datasets, which may mean some higher risk pregnancies were included.
CONCLUSIONS
IOL with birth at 39 weeks was associated with a small reduction in the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, with 360 inductions in low-risk pregnancies needed to avoid 1 adverse outcome. The risk reduction was mainly present in women from more socioeconomically deprived areas and in nulliparous women. There was no significant risk difference found by ethnicity. Increased uptake of IOL at 39 weeks, especially in women from more socioeconomically deprived areas, may help reduce inequalities in adverse perinatal outcomes.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Parity; Stillbirth; Cesarean Section; Cohort Studies; Ethnicity; State Medicine; Placenta; Labor, Induced; England; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 37471395
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004259 -
Cureus May 2023Background Fetal death is the delivery of a fetus with no sign of life, as indicated by the absence of breathing, heartbeat, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite...
Background Fetal death is the delivery of a fetus with no sign of life, as indicated by the absence of breathing, heartbeat, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles. Nearly 2.6 million stillbirths are estimated to occur worldwide every year. Almost all of these (98%) stillbirths occur in low- and middle-income countries. About one-sixth of the stillbirths globally were recorded in India in 2019, making it the most burdened country in the world. In light of this, we conducted a study to identify the placental pathologies and maternal factors associated with stillbirth. Methodology A case-control study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), from June 2022 to May 2023. Cases included pregnant women with a gestational age of 28 weeks or more who delivered a stillbirth infant at VIMSAR, and controls included gestational age-matched deliveries with live birth. Consent to participate in the study was obtained before enrolment. The final sample size was 79 cases and controls. The chi-square test was performed for bivariate analysis, and logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. Results In our study, we found a significant association between maternal age of more than 30 years (odds ratio (OR) = 3.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.91-4.22, p = 0.012), maternal education (with up to the primary level or less: OR = 6.19, 95% CI = 2.92-7.87, p = 0.012), history of addiction (tobacco chewing: OR = 5.58, 95% CI = 3.71-7.11, p = 0.03), and the number of antenatal visits (no visit: OR = 6.87, 95% CI = 2.91-7.79, p = 0.019) with an increased risk of stillbirth. Among the obstetrical complications, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (OR = 3.87, 95% CI = 1.98-5.11, p = 0.001), premature rupture of membranes (PROM)/preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM) (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.31-3.91, p = 0.03) and antepartum hemorrhage (APH) (OR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.65-3.58, p = 0.02) were found to be significantly related with stillbirth. Among placental pathologies, uteroplacental vascular pathology (OR = 7.39, 95% CI = 3.01-8.97), acute chorioamnionitis (OR = 3.35, 95% CI = 2.11-5.21), chronic inflammation (OR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.91 4.17), calcific changes (OR = 4.46, 95% CI = 2.56-6.01), and retroplacental clots (OR = 9.95, 95% CI = 4.39-11.71) were associated with stillbirth. Conclusions In our study, advanced maternal age, absence of antenatal visits, low level of education, tobacco addiction, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, APH, and PROM in pregnancy were the major risk factors associated with stillbirth. Uteroplacental vascular pathology, chorioamnionitis, chronic inflammation, retroplacental hematoma, and calcific changes were the most significant placental lesions associated with stillbirth.
PubMed: 37351240
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.39339