Ghada Bourjeily

Pulmonary embolism in pregnancy

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the developed world. Mortality from PE in pregnancy might be related to challenges in targeting the right population for prevention, ensuring that diagnosis is suspected and adequately investigated, and initiating timely and best possible treatment of this disease. Pregnancy is an example of Virchows triad: hypercoagulability, venous stasis, and vascular damage; together these factors lead to an increased incidence of venous thromboembolism. This disorder is often suspected in pregnant women because some of the physiological changes of pregnancy mimic its signs and symptoms. Despite concerns for fetal teratogenicity and oncogenicity associated with diagnostic testing, and potential adverse effects of pharmacological treatment, an accurate diagnosis of PE and a timely therapeutic intervention are crucial. Appropriate prophylaxis should be weighed against the risk of complications and offered according to risk stratification.

Neonatal Thyroid Function: Effect of a Single Exposure to Iodinated Contrast Medium in Utero

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of in utero exposure to a single dose of water-soluble intravenous iodinated contrast medium on thyroid function at birth. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was approved by the institutional review board, with waiver of consent, and was HIPAA compliant. Maternal and newborn records were retrospectively reviewed. All pregnant women who underwent multidetector pulmonary computed tomographic angiography because they were suspected of having pulmonary embolism between 2004 and 2008 and newborns resulting from the index pregnancy were included. In all examinations, iohexol was used as the contrast agent. Dose and amount of contrast agent and gestational age at the time of administration of the contrast agent were collected, and thyroxine (T(4)) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were measured at birth. A total of 344 maternal and 343 newborn records were reviewed. A descriptive analysis was performed, and means, standard deviations, and confidence intervals were reported. RESULTS Mean gestational age at the time of administration of the contrast material was 27.8 weeks +/- 7.4. The mean dose of total iodine administered was 45,000 mg/L +/- 7321. All newborns had a normal T(4) level at birth; only one newborn had a transiently abnormal TSH level at birth, which normalized at day 6 of life. This newborn was born to a mother who had many drug exposures during pregnancy. CONCLUSION A single, high-dose in utero exposure to water-soluble, low-osmolar, iodinated intravenous products, such as iohexol, is unlikely to have a clinically important effect on thyroid function at birth.

Sleep-disordered Breathing in Pregnancy

Symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing are more common in pregnant women compared with nonpregnant women. It is likely that physiology of pregnancy predisposes to the development or worsening of sleep-disordered breathing, but some physiologic changes may also be protective against the development of this disease. Clinical presentation may be less predictive of sleep disordered breathing in pregnancy than in the non-pregnant population; nonetheless, snoring is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Treatment strategies are similar to the nonpregnant population, however, pregnancy-specific scenarios may arise and these subtleties are addressed in this review.

Exercise Training in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Exercise limitation is a common and disturbing manifestation of COPD. The exercise intolerance is often caused by multiple interrelated anatomic and physiologic disturbances. Importantly, exercise tolerance can be improved despite the presence of fixed structural abnormalities in the lung. Exercise training, undertaken alone or in the context of comprehensive PR, improves exercise endurance and, to a lesser degree, the maximal tolerated workload of patients with COPD. Pulmonary rehabilitation also improves dyspnea and QOL. Exercise training and PR should be considered for all patients lacking contraindications who experience exercise intolerance despite optimal medical therapy. Lower-extremity training should be included routinely in the exercise prescription. The choice of type and intensity of training should be based primarily on the patients individual baseline functional status, symptoms, needs, and long-term goals. When tolerated, high-intensity (continuous or interval) training may lead to greater improvements in aerobic fitness than low-intensity training but is not absolutely necessary to achieve gains in exercise endurance. Upper-extremity training should be undertaken when possible. Ventilatory muscle training should be considered for patients who continue to experience exercise limitation and breathlessness despite medical therapy and general exercise reconditioning. Exercise tolerance may improve following exercise training because of gains in aerobic fitness or peripheral muscle strength; enhanced mechanical skill and efficiency of exercise; improvements in respiratory muscle function, breathing pattern, or lung hyperinflation; as well as reduction in anxiety, fear, and dyspnea associated with exercise. Gains made in exercise tolerance can last up to 2 years following a limited duration (6-12 week) rehabilitation program.

The use of the PleurX catheter in the management of non-malignant pleural effusions:

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of the PleurX catheter in the management of recurrent non-malignant pleural effusions. Methods: All subjects who underwent a PleurX catheter placement between 2003 and 2009 were evaluated. General demographic data, time to pleurodesis, complications, and a satisfaction questionnaire were collected. The subjects were divided into two groups. Group I included patients with non-malignant effusions and group II included patients with malignant effusions. Results: A total of 64 subjects were included in the final data analysis. A total of 23 subjects were included in group I and 41 subjects were included in group II. The diagnoses in group I included congestive heart failure (CHF; 13), hepatic hydrothorax (8), traumatic bloody (1), and idiopathic exudative (1). The diagnoses in group II included lung cancer (20), breast cancer (11), colon cancer (5), prostate cancer (2), B-cell lymphoma (2), and mesothelioma (1). The time to pleurodesis was 36 ± 12 days for group II compared to 110.8 ± 41 days for group I (p < 0.0001). The mean satisfaction score was similar in both groups (3.8 ± 0.4). Time to pleurodesis was significantly shorter in hepatic hydrothorax compared to CHF (73.6 ± 9 days vs. 113 ± 36 days, p = 0.006). There was one case of exit site infection in a patient with hepatic hydrothorax. Among subjects who were alive at 3 months after the catheter removal, none had recurrence of their pleural effusion. Conclusion: The Denver catheter was effective in achieving pleurodesis in non-malignant pleural effusions. The complication rate was low and patient satisfaction was high.

Evidence of Placental Hypoxia in Maternal Sleep Disordered Breathing.

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) represents a spectrum of disorders, including habitual snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Sleep disordered breathing is characterized by chronic intermittent hypoxia, airflow limitation, and recurrent arousals, which may lead to tissue hypoperfusion, hypoxia, and inflammation. In this study, we aimed to examine whether SDB during pregnancy was associated with histopathologic evidence of chronic placental hypoxia and/or uteroplacental underperfusion. The placentas of women with OSA (n = 23) and habitual snoring (n = 78) as well as nonsnorer controls (n = 47) were assessed for histopathologic and immunohistochemical markers of chronic hypoxia and uteroplacental underperfusion. Fetal normoblastemia was significantly more prevalent in SDB placentas than in those of nonsnorer controls (34.6% and 56.5% in snorers and OSA, respectively, versus 6.4% in controls). Expression of the tissue hypoxia marker carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) was more common in OSA placentas than controls (81.5% and 91.3% in snorers and OSA, respectively, versus 57.5% in controls). Adjusting for confounders such as body mass index, diabetes mellitus, or chronic hypertension did not alter the results. The uteroplacental underperfusion scores were similar among the 3 groups. Our findings suggest that SDB during pregnancy is associated with fetoplacental hypoxia, as manifested by fetal normoblastemia and increased placental carbonic anhydrase IX immunoreactivity. The clinical implications and underlying mechanisms remain to be determined.

Comparison of severity-of-illness scores in critically ill obstetric patients: a 6-year retrospective cohort.

Objective:The purpose of this research was to evaluate the discrimination and calibration of mortality prediction of Simplified Acute Physiology Score 2, Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3, Mortality Probability Model II, and Mortality Probability Model III in peripartum women. Design:A retrospective cohort study. Setting:Rafael Calvo Maternity Hospital, a large teaching hospital in Cartagena (Colombia). Patients:All obstetric patients admitted to the ICU from 2006 to 2011. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Seven hundred twenty-six obstetric critical care patients were included. All scores showed good discrimination (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve > 0.86). Simplified Acute Physiology Score 2, Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3, and Mortality Probability Model III inaccurately estimated mortality. The only mortality prediction score that showed good calibration through mortality ratio and Hosmer-Lemeshow test was Mortality Probability Model II. Mortality ratio for Mortality Probability Model II was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.60–1.25). Hosmer-Lemeshow test was not significant (p = 0.571). Conclusions:Simplified Acute Physiology Score 2 and Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 overestimate mortality in obstetric critical care patients. Mortality Probability Model III was inadequately calibrated. Mortality Probability Model II showed good fit to predict mortality in a developing country setting. Future studies in developed and developing countries are needed to further confirm our findings.

Placenta-secreted circulating markers in pregnant women with obstructive sleep apnea.

Abstract Aims: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with placenta-mediated adverse clinical outcomes. We aimed at comparing placenta-secreted proteins, such as first and second trimester Down syndrome screening markers which have been linked to preeclampsia, and markers of angiogenesis in pregnant women with OSA, and pregnant controls at low risk for OSA. Methods: A case-control study of pregnant women with OSA and controls at low risk for OSA was performed. Levels of first and second trimester markers were reported as multiple of median (MoM), and adjusted for body mass index (BMI). Stored samples were tested for markers of angiogenesis and adjusted for gestational age, BMI, and chronic hypertension. Results: A total of 24 women with OSA and 166 controls had screening markers. BMI was higher in cases compared to controls, P=0.01. MoM levels of placenta associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) were significantly lower in cases versus controls, even after adjusting for BMI (0.52 IQR 0.48 vs. 1.01 IQR 0.63, P=0.009). The ratio of soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 to placental growth factor was significantly higher in cases than controls, even after adjusting for confounders (4.42 IQR 2.52 vs. 2.93 IQR 2.01, P=0.009). Conclusion: Circulating placenta-secreted glycoproteins and markers of angiogenesis are altered in pregnant women with OSA.

Airflow limitations in pregnant women suspected of sleep-disordered breathing

BACKGROUND AND AIM Pregnancy physiology may predispose women to the development of airflow limitations during sleep. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether pregnant women suspected of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are more likely to have airflow limitations compared to non-pregnant controls. METHODS We recruited pregnant women referred for polysomnography for a diagnosis of SDB. Non-pregnant female controls matched for age, body mass index (BMI), and apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) were identified from a database. We examined airflow tracings for changes in amplitude and shape. We classified airflow limitation by (a) amplitude criteria defined as decreased airflow of > or =10 s without desaturation or arousal (FL 10), or decreased airflow of any duration combined with either 1-2% desaturation or arousal, (FL 1-2%); and (b) shape criteria defined as the presence of flattening or oscillations of the inspiratory flow curve. RESULTS We identified 25 case-control pairs. Mean BMI was 44.0±6.9 in cases and 44.1±7.3 in controls. Using shape criteria, pregnant women had significantly more flow-limited breaths throughout total sleep time (32.4±35.8 vs. 9.4±17.9, p<0.0001) and in each stage of sleep (p<0.0001) than non-pregnant controls. In a subgroup analysis, pregnant women without a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) who had an AHI <5 had similar findings (p<0.0001). There was no difference in airflow limitation by amplitude criteria between pregnant women and controls (p=0.22). CONCLUSIONS Pregnant women suspected of OSA have more frequent shape-defined airflow limitations than non-pregnant controls, even when they do not meet polysomnographic OSA criteria.

When the heart stops: a review of cardiac arrest in pregnancy.

Cardiac arrest is a rare occurrence in pregnancy and may be related to obstetric or medical causes. Pregnancy is associated with profound physiologic changes that prepare the gravida for the challenges of labor and delivery, and resuscitation of the pregnant patient needs to take these changes into consideration. Cardiac output and plasma volume increase in pregnancy and distribute differently with the uterine circulation receiving approximately 17% of the total cardiac output. On the other hand, cardiac output is sensitive to positional changes in the second half of pregnancy but may improve with a lateral tilt of the gravida. Both oxygen reserve and upper airway size decrease in pregnancy, leading to difficulties surrounding airway management. Changes in the volume of distribution, renal and hepatic clearance may impact drug effects and need to be recognized. This review will discuss an overview of pregnancy physiology that is relevant to cardiac resuscitation, detail the challenges in the various resuscitative steps including a synopsis on perimortem delivery, and describe obstetric and nonobstetric causes of mortality and cardiac arrest in pregnancy.