Rachel A. Pilliod

The risk of intrauterine fetal death in the small-for-gestational-age fetus

OBJECTIVE We sought to evaluate the risk of intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses. STUDY DESIGN We analyzed a retrospective cohort of all births in the United States in 2005, as recorded in a national database. We calculated the risk of IUFD within 3 sets of SGA threshold categories as well as within non-SGA pregnancies using the number of at-risk fetuses as the denominator. RESULTS The risk of IUFD increased with gestational age and was inversely proportional to percentile of birthweight for gestational age. The risk for IUFD in those <3rd percentile was as high as 58.0 IUFDs per 10,000 at-risk fetuses, 43.9 for <5th percentile, and 26.3 for <10th percentile compared to 5.1 for non-SGA gestations. CONCLUSION There is an increase in the risk of IUFD in SGA fetuses compared to non-SGA fetuses at all gestational ages with the greatest risk demonstrated in the lowest percentile cohort evaluated.

The cost-effectiveness of repeat HIV testing during pregnancy in a resource-limited setting.

Objective:To estimate the cost-effectiveness of HIV screening strategies for the prevention of perinatal transmission in Uganda, a resource-limited country with high HIV prevalence and incidence. Study Design:We designed a decision analytic model from a health care system perspective to assess the vertical transmission rates and cost-effectiveness of 4 different HIV screening strategies in pregnancy: (1) rapid HIV antibody (Ab) test at initial visit (current standard of care), (2) strategy 1 + HIV RNA at initial visit (adds detection of acute HIV), (3) strategy 1 + repeat HIV Ab at delivery (adds detection of incident HIV), and (4) strategy 3 + HIV RNA at delivery (adds detection of acute HIV at delivery). Model estimates were derived from the literature and local sources, and life years saved were discounted at a rate of 3% per year. Based on World Health Organization guidelines, we defined our cost-effectiveness threshold as ⩽3 times the gross domestic product per capita, which for Uganda was US

Down syndrome: perinatal mortality risks with each additional week of expectant management

3300 in 2008. Results:Using base case estimates of 10% HIV prevalence among women entering prenatal care and 3% incidence during pregnancy, strategy 3 was incrementally the cost-effective option that led to the greatest total life years. Conclusions:Repeat rapid HIV Ab testing at the time of labor is a cost-effective strategy even in a resource-limited setting such as Uganda.

When is the optimal time to deliver late preterm IUGR fetuses with abnormal umbilical artery Dopplers

To evaluate the gestational age (GA) at which perinatal mortality risk is minimized for fetuses with Down syndrome (DS).

The growth-restricted fetus: risk of mortality by each additional week of expectant management

Abstract Objective: To determine the optimal timing of delivery in late preterm intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) fetuses with abnormal umbilical artery Doppler (UAD) indices. Methods: A decision-analytic model was built to determine the optimal gestational age (GA) of delivery in a theoretic cohort of 10 000 IUGR fetuses with elevated UAD systolic/diastolic ratios diagnosed at 34 weeks. All inputs were derived from the literature. Strategies involving expectant management accounted for the probabilities of stillbirth, spontaneous delivery and induction of labor for UAD absent or reversed end-diastolic flow (AREDF) at each successive week. Outcomes included short- and long-term neonatal morbidity and mortality with quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) generated based on these outcomes. Base case, sensitivity analyses and a Monte Carlo simulation were performed. Results: The optimal GA for delivery is 35 weeks, which minimized perinatal deaths and maximized total QALYs. Earlier delivery became optimal once the risk of stillbirth was threefold our baseline assumption; our model was also robust until the risk of AREDF at 35 weeks was half our baseline assumption, after which delivery at 36 weeks was preferred. Delivery at 35 weeks was the optimal strategy in 77% of trials in Monte Carlo multivariable sensitivity analysis. Conclusions: Weighing the risks of iatrogenic prematurity against the poor outcomes associated with AREDF, the ideal GA to deliver late preterm IUGR fetuses with elevated UAD indices is 35 weeks.

Fetal hydrops and the risk of severe preeclampsia

Abstract Objective: To compare fetal/infant mortality risk associated with each additional week of expectant management with the infant mortality risk of immediate delivery in growth-restricted pregnancies. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of singleton, nonanomalous pregnancies from the 2005–2008 California Birth Registry comparing pregnancies affected and unaffected by growth restriction, defined using birth weights as a proxy for fetal growth restriction (FGR). Birth weights were subdivided as greater than the 90th percentile, between the 10th percentile and 90th percentile, and less than the 10th percentile. Cases greater than the 90th percentile were excluded from analysis. Cases less than the 10th percentile were considered to have FGR and were further subcategorized into <10th percentile, <5th percentile, and <3rd percentile. We compared the risk of infant death at each gestational age week against a composite risk representing the mortality risk of one additional week of expectant management. Results: We identified 1,641,000 births, of which 110,748 (6.7%) were less than 10th percentile. The risk of stillbirth increased with gestational age with the risk of stillbirth at each week of gestation inversely proportional to growth percentile. The risks of fetal and infant mortality with expectant management outweighed the risk of infant death for all FGR categories analyzed beginning at 38 weeks. However, the absolute risks differed by growth percentiles, with the highest risks of infant death and stillbirth in the <3rd percentile cohort. At 39 weeks, absolute risks were low, although the number needed to deliver to prevent 1 death ranged from 413 for <3rd percentile to 2667 in unaffected pregnancies. Conclusion: At 38 weeks, the mortality risk of expectant management for one additional week exceeds the risk of delivery across all growth-restricted cohorts, despite variation in absolute risk by degree of growth restriction.

Diagnostic accuracy and clinical outcomes associated with prenatal diagnosis of fetal absent cavum septi pellucidi

Abstract Objective: To assess the incidence and severity of preeclampsia in pregnancies complicated by fetal hydrops. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of singleton gestations from 2005 to 2008 in California. The primary predictor was fetal hydrops and the primary outcome was preeclampsia. Selected adverse maternal and neonatal events were assessed as secondary outcomes. Potential confounders examined included fetal anomalies, polyhydramnios, race/ethnicity, nulliparity, chronic hypertension, and gestational or pregestational diabetes mellitus. Results: We identified 337 pregnancies complicated by fetal hydrops, 70.0% had a concomitant fetal anomaly and 39.8% had polyhydramnios. Compared to the general population, hydrops was associated with an increased risk for severe preeclampsia (5.26 versus 0.91%, p < .001) but not mild preeclampsia (2.86 versus 2.02%, p = .29). In multivariable analysis, fetal hydrops remained an independent risk factor for severe preeclampsia (as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) 3.13, 1.91–5.14). Hydrops was also associated with increased rates of eclampsia, acute renal failure, pulmonary edema, postpartum hemorrhage, blood transfusion, preterm birth, and neonatal death. Conclusions: We find that fetal hydrops is an independent risk factor for severe preeclampsia. In light of serious concerns for maternal and neonatal health, heightened surveillance for signs and symptoms of severe preeclampsia is warranted in all pregnancies complicated by fetal hydrops.

Fetal Malpresentation and Malposition: Diagnosis and Management

Absence of the cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) on prenatal imaging is historically associated with additional anomalies; however, recent cases of isolated absent CSP have also been identified. This study seeks to assess the accuracy of prenatal imaging in evaluating isolated absent CSP and to describe the spectrum of clinical outcomes.

Obstetrics in the Emergency Room

Fetal malpresentation and fetal malposition are frequently interchanged; however, fetal malpresentation refers to a fetus with a fetal part other than the head engaging the maternal pelvis. Fetal malposition in labor includes occiput posterior and occiput transverse positions. Both fetal malposition and malpresentation are associated with significant maternal and neonatal morbidity, which have significant impact on patients and providers. Accurate diagnosis of both conditions is necessary for appropriate management. In this review, terminology, incidence, diagnosis, and management are discussed.

Women With Prior Shoulder Dystocia: What Is the Optimal Mode of Delivery? [175]

Patients may present to the emergency room with antepartum or postpartum complications, occasionally requiring management without the immediate support of an obstetrics team. This chapter reviews basic principles of obstetric care and discusses the management of normal labor, rupture of membranes, obstetrical hemorrhage, hypertensive emergencies in pregnancy and the postpartum period, and traumatic injury in a pregnant woman.