Nicholas Czuzoj-Shulman

Incidence and causes of maternal mortality in the USA.

To characterize the most common causes and risk factors of maternal mortality in the USA and observe trends over the past 9 years.

Pregnancy outcomes in women with bariatric surgery as compared with morbidly obese women

Abstract Objective: Pregnancies among morbidly obese women are associated with serious adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Our study objective is to evaluate the effect of bariatric surgery on obstetrical outcomes. Methods: We carried out a retrospective cohort study using the healthcare cost and utilization project – Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2003 to 2011 comparing outcome of births among women who had undergone bariatric surgery with births among women with morbid obesity. Logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted effect of bariatric surgery on maternal and newborn outcomes. Results: There were 8 475 831 births during the study period (221 580 (2.6%) in morbidly obese women and 9587 (0.1%) in women with bariatric surgery). Women with bariatric surgery were more likely to be Caucasian and ≥35 years old as compared with morbidly obese women. As compared with women with morbid obesity, women with bariatric surgery had lower rates of hypertensive disorders, premature rupture of membrane, chorioamnionitis, cesarean delivery, instrumental delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, and postpartum infection. Induction of labor, postpartum blood transfusions, venous thromboembolisms, and intrauterine fetal growth restriction were more common in the bariatric surgery group. There were no differences observed in preterm births, fetal deaths, or reported congenital anomalies. Conclusion: In general, women who undergo bariatric surgery have improved pregnancy outcomes as compared with morbidly obese women. However, the bariatric surgery group was more likely to have venous thromboembolisms, to require a blood transfusion, to have their labor induced and to experience fetal growth restriction.

Pregnancy outcomes in liver transplant patients, a population-based study

Abstract Objective: To determine the incidence of pregnancy in liver transplant (LT) patients in a large population-based cohort and to determine the maternal and fetal risks associated with these pregnancies. Methods: We conducted an age-matched cohort study using the US Healthcare and Utilization project–Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2003–2011. We used unconditional logistic regression, adjusted for baseline characteristics, to estimate the likelihood of common obstetric complications in the LT group compared with age-matched nontransplant patients. Results: There were 7 288 712 deliveries and an estimated incidence of 2.1 LTs/100 000 deliveries over the nine-year study period. LT patients had higher rates of maternal complications including hypertensive disorders (OR 6.5, 95% CI: 4.4–9.5), gestational diabetes (OR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.0–3.5), anemia (OR 3.2, 95% CI: 2.1–4.9), thrombocytopenia (OR 27.5, 95% CI: 12.7–59.8) and genitourinary tract infections (OR 4.2, 95% CI: 1.8–9.8). Deliveries among women with LT had higher risks of cesarean section (OR 2.9, 95% CI: 2.0–4.1), postpartum hemorrhage (OR 3.2, 95% CI: 1.7–6.2) and blood transfusion (OR 18.7, 95% CI: 8.5–41.0). Fetal complications in LT patients included preterm delivery (OR 4.7, 95% CI: 3.2–7.0), intrauterine growth restriction (OR 4.1, 95% CI: 2.1–7.7) and congenital anomalies (OR 6.0, 95% CI: 1.1–32.0). Conclusion: Although pregnancies in LT recipients are feasible, they are associated with a high rate of maternal and fetal morbidities. Close antenatal surveillance is recommended.

Safety of splenectomy during pregnancy

Abstract Objective: The aim of our study is to evaluate the risk of morbidity and mortality of splenectomy in pregnant women compared with non-pregnant women. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective population-based matched cohort study using the Health Care Cost and Utilization Project, Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2003 to 2011. Pregnant women with splenectomy were age-matched to non-pregnant women with splenectomy. We compared risks of morbidity and mortality between pregnant and non-pregnant women using conditional logistic regression analysis. Results: The non-pregnant group had an excess of white patients and a greater proportion of Medicaid and private insurance users. There was a tendency for greater frequency of laparotomies in pregnant patients. Risk of VTE, portal vein thrombosis, renal failure and sepsis were comparable between the groups. Risk for transfusion was higher amongst pregnant women (OR 2.2, 95% CI (1.7–2.8)), as was the risk for a longer hospital stay (OR 1.7, 95% CI (1.4–2.1)). Conclusion: Caution should be taken when performing splenectomy during pregnancy as risk for complications and mortality may be increased. Additional measures should be undertaken to have blood units on reserve for this population.

Effect of Borderline Personality Disorder on Obstetrical and Neonatal Outcomes.

BACKGROUND Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental disorder commonly associated with functional impairments and adverse health outcomes. Very little is known about BPD in pregnant women; hence, our study objective was to evaluate the effect of BPD on obstetrical and neonatal outcomes. METHODS We carried out a retrospective cohort study using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2003 to 2012. We identified births using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnostic and procedure codes and classified women by BPD status. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of BPD on obstetrical and neonatal outcomes, adjusted for subject baseline characteristics. FINDINGS During the study period, there were 989 births to women with BPD with an overall incidence of 11.65 in 100,000 births. Women with BPD were more likely younger, of lower socioeconomic status, smoked or used drugs, and had an underlying mental disorder. Unadjusted models revealed that BPD was associated with an increased risk of almost all adverse maternal and fetal outcomes we examined, the exception being post partum hemorrhage and instrumental delivery, which both had a null association with BPD, and induction of labor, which was negatively associated with BPD. Upon full adjustment, BPD was found to be associated with the following obstetrical and neonatal outcomes: gestational diabetes (odds ratio [OR], 1.45; 95% CI, 1.13-1.85), premature rupture of the membranes (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.07-1.83), chorioamnionitis (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.14-2.39), venous thromboembolism (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.12-3.96), caesarian delivery (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.26-1.64), and preterm birth (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.29-1.83). CONCLUSION BPD is associated with several adverse obstetrical and neonatal outcomes. Hence, pregnant women who suffer from BPD should be monitored closely by a multidisciplinary health care team both before and during their pregnancies. This oversight would allow for the receipt of treatment for BPD and also interventions to help them to cease tobacco and drug use, which may ultimately decrease the incidence of poor obstetrical and neonatal outcomes.

Hysterectomy for Uterine Cancer in the Elderly: A Comparison Between Laparoscopic and Robot-Assisted Techniques.

Objective The mainstay of treatment for uterine corpus cancer is surgical, and the gold standard approach has become minimally invasive surgery. The aim of this study is to compare the perioperative complications and demographics of patients 80 years old or more undergoing robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomy for uterine cancer. Materials and Methods Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we retrospectively identified all women aged 80 years or older who had hysterectomies for uterine cancer by either modality. The complication rates of surgery in both groups were adjusted for potential confounding and compared using logistic regression analyses. Results There were 915 women aged 80 years or older identified with uterine corpus cancer who had either laparoscopic or robotic surgery. Robotically treated patients were more likely to be obese (8.8% vs 3.5%) but were otherwise similar in terms of mean age, comorbidities, income, ethnicity, and insurance status. Those undergoing robotic surgery were less likely to have admissions beyond 3 days (29.0% vs 38.2%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.66; P < 0.01) and had a lower composite incidence of any complication (24.3% vs 31.6%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.7; P < 0.05). When looking at those who had lymph node dissections, there was a lower rate of postoperative ileus, and a trend toward fewer venous thromboembolic events. Conclusions Among octogenarians and nonagenarians with uterine corpus cancer, robotic surgery is associated with a shorter hospital admission and a better complication profile than laparoscopy.

Laparoscopic and Robotic-Assisted Hysterectomy for Uterine Leiomyomas: A Comparison of Complications and Costs

OBJECTIVE Robotic surgery is increasingly being used for treatment of malignant and benign gynaecologic diseases. The purpose of our study is to compare patient perioperative complications and costs of laparoscopic versus robotic-assisted hysterectomy for uterine leiomyomas. METHODS A retrospective cohort study using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from the United States was conducted, comparing patients who underwent robotic-assisted hysterectomy and laparoscopic hysterectomy (total laparoscopic hysterectomy and laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy) for uterine fibroids between 2008 and 2012. Baseline characteristics were compared between the two groups, and logistic regression was used to compare postoperative outcomes between laparoscopic and robotic approaches. Direct costs were compared between the two groups using linear regression models. RESULTS Over a five-year period, the total number of hysterectomies performed increased. Patients undergoing robotic hysterectomy were older and had more comorbidities. In adjusted analyses, women who underwent robotic surgery were more likely to have respiratory failure (0.71% vs. 0.39%; P < 0.0108), postoperative fever (1.05% vs. 0.67%, P < 0.0002), and ileus (1.76% vs. 1.3%; P < 0.0060), and less likely to require transfusions (3.4% vs. 3.96%; P < 0.0037). Robotic surgery was consistently more expensive, with a median cost of

Maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies in women with Addison's disease: a population-based cohort study on 7.7 million births

33 928.00 compared with

Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Retrospective Population-Based Cohort Study [7N]

23 753.00 for laparoscopic hysterectomy. CONCLUSION While there are only slight differences in postoperative complications between laparoscopic-assisted hysterectomy and robotic-assisted hysterectomy, robotic-assisted hysterectomy is associated with considerably greater direct costs. Unless specific indications for robotic-assisted hysterectomy exist, laparoscopic-assisted hysterectomy should be the preferred approach for minimally invasive surgical treatment of leiomyomas.

Evaluation of management and surgical outcomes in pregnancies complicated by acute cholecystitis

To assess if pregnancies among women with Addisons disease (AD) are at higher risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.