Vijaya A Naik

Oral misoprostol in preventing postpartum haemorrhage in resource-poor communities: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND Postpartum haemorrhage is a major cause of maternal mortality in the developing world. Although effective methods for prevention and treatment of such haemorrhage exist--such as the uterotonic drug oxytocin--most are not feasible in resource-poor settings where many births occur at home. We aimed to investigate whether oral misoprostol, a potential alternative to oxytocin, could prevent postpartum haemorrhage in a community home-birth setting. METHODS In a placebo-controlled trial undertaken between September, 2002, and December, 2005, 1620 women in rural India were randomised to receive oral misoprostol (n=812) or placebo (n=808) after delivery. 25 auxiliary nurse midwives undertook the deliveries, administered the study drug, and measured blood loss. The primary outcome was the incidence of acute postpartum haemorrhage (defined as > or =500 mL bleeding) within 2 h of delivery. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. The trial was registered with the US clinical trials database (http://www. clinicaltrials.gov) as number NCT00097123. FINDINGS Oral misoprostol was associated with a significant reduction in the rate of acute postpartum haemorrhage (12.0% to 6.4%, p<0.0001; relative risk 0.53 [95% CI 0.39-0.74]) and acute severe postpartum haemorrhage (1.2% to 0.2%, p<0.0001; 0.20 [0.04-0.91]. One case of postpartum haemorrhage was prevented for every 18 women treated. Misoprostol was also associated with a decrease in mean postpartum blood loss (262.3 mL to 214.3 mL, p<0.0001). Postpartum haemorrhage rates fell over time in both groups but remained significantly higher in the placebo group. Women taking misoprostol had a higher rate of transitory symptoms of chills and fever than the control. INTERPRETATION Oral misoprostol was associated with significant decreases in the rate of acute postpartum haemorrhage and mean blood loss. The drugs low cost, ease of administration, stability, and a positive safety profile make it a good option in resource-poor settings.

Drape estimation vs. visual assessment for estimating postpartum hemorrhage

Objective: To compare (1) visual estimation of postpartum blood loss with estimation using a specifically designed blood collection drape and (2) the drape estimate with a measurement of blood loss by photospectrometry. Methods: A randomized controlled study was performed with 123 women delivered at the District Hospital, Belgaum, India. The women were randomized to visual or drape estimation of blood loss. A subsample of 10 drape estimates was compared with photospectrometry results. Results: The visual estimate of blood loss was 33% less than the drape estimate. The interclass correlation of the drape estimate to photospectrometry measurement was 0.92. Conclusion: Drape estimation of blood loss is more accurate than visual estimation and may have particular utility in the developing world. Prompt detection of postpartum hemorrhage may reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in low‐resource settings.

Side effects of oral misoprostol for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage: Results of a community-based randomised controlled trial in rural India

Objective. To investigate the side effects of 600 μg oral misoprostol given for the mother and the newborn to prevent postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Methods. One thousand six hundred twenty women delivering at home or subcentres in rural India were randomised to receive misoprostol or placebo in the third stage of labour. Women were evaluated for shivering, fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea at 2 and 24 h postpartum. Newborns were evaluated within 24 h for diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Symptoms were graded as absent, mild-to-moderate or severe. Results. Women who received misoprostol had a significantly greater incidence of shivering (52%vs. 17%, p < 0.001) and fever (4.2%vs. 1.1%, p < 0.001) at 2 h postpartum compared with women who received placebo. At 24 h, women in the misoprostol group experienced significantly more shivering (4.6%vs. 1.4%, p < 0.001) and fever (1.4%vs. 0.4%, p < 0.03). There were no differences in nausea, vomiting or diarrhea between the two groups. There were no differences in the incidence of vomiting, diarrhea or fever for newborns. Conclusions. Misoprostol is associated with a significant increase in postpartum maternal shivering and fever with no side effects for the newborn. Given its proven efficacy for the prevention of PPH, the benefits of misoprostol are greater than the associated risks.

Factors Affecting Birth Weight of a Newborn – A Community Based Study in Rural Karnataka, India

Background Low birth weight (LBW) is a major public health problem in many developing countries, especially so in India. Although we do not know all the causes of LBW, maternal and environmental factors appear to be significant risk factors in its occurrence. Objectives To know the factors affecting the birth weight of a newborn and to estimate the prevalence of LBW. Methods The present study was carried out amongst 1138 pregnant women and their newborns residing in area covered by Kinaye Primary Health Centre in rural Karnataka, India. The study was conducted from 1st June 2008 to 31st December 2009. Results The mean birth weight of newborns was 2.6 kg with a range of 1.2 to 3.8 kg. The prevalence of LBW was 22.9%. Among the studied risk factors, 25 of them were significantly associated with the birth weight of a newborn on univariate logistic regression analysis. Maternal education [Odds Ratio (OR) 3.2], exposure to passive smoking [OR 2.3], age at first pregnancy ≥25 years [OR 3.6], birth interval <2 years [OR 2.4], previous history of LBW baby [OR 3.3], weight gain ≤4 kg during pregnancy [OR 7.0], maternal weight at last week of gestation ≤45 kg [OR 2.3], pregnancy induced hypertension [OR 3.3], high risk pregnancy [OR 3.6] and late antenatal registration [OR 3.6] emerged as significant risk factors on multivariate analysis. Conclusion The problem of LBW is multidimensional, and hence, we need an integrated approach incorporating medical, social, economical and educational measures to address this issue.

Factors associated with acute postpartum hemorrhage in low-risk women delivering in rural India.

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity in low‐income countries, can occur unpredictably. This study examined the sociodemographic, clinical, and perinatal characteristics of low‐risk women who experienced PPH.

Infant rearing practices in South India: a longitudinal study.

Background: Rearing practices are a major determinant of nutritional and health status of infants. Therefore these practices need to be better understood. Objectives: To find out infant rearing practices in the study area. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted on a birth cohort of 194 infants. Information on rearing practices and anthropometric measurements were recorded every month for a period of 1 year. Results: Only 67 (34.5%) newborns were breast fed within half an hour of delivery. Prelacteal feeds was given to 65 (33.5%) newborns and this was seen more among home deliveries (P=0.018). Demand feeding was practiced by 169 (87.1%) mothers. Exclusive breast feeding (EBF) for 6 months was practiced by 81 (41.7%) mothers. Bottle feeding was seen in 7 (3.6%) cases. Weight gain during infancy was found to be maximum when infants were EBF for 6 months (P<0.001) and weaned with semi-solid and solid diet alone in the following 6 months (P=0.002). Gain in all anthropometric measurements was more in the initial 6 months of infancy compared to latter. Four (2.1%) infants were malnourished. Oil massage before bath was practiced by 189 (97.4%) mothers. Over 50% mothers practiced oil application to eyes or ears of infants. Delayed initiation of bath (beyond 1week) was seen in 15 (7.7%) cases. Conclusion: Faulty rearing practices need to be corrected in order to improve the health status of infants.

Variation in the postpartum hemorrhage rate in a clinical trial of oral misoprostol

Objective. The main objective of this study was to identify factors associated with variation in the rate of acute postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), defined as blood loss ≥ 500 mL within 2 hours of delivery, observed in a randomized clinical trial of misoprostol for the prevention of PPH, conducted in rural India. Although the women in the misoprostol group had a significantly lower probability of having a PPH, we also noted a reduction in the rate of PPH in the placebo group over the course of the study. We hypothesized that this was due to the changing skills of the auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) over the course of the study. Methods. We conducted a post-hoc analysis examining variation in PPH rates over the duration of the trial among the women randomized to the placebo arm (n = 808). Descriptive, correlation analysis and generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to predict PPH rates. With no direct measure of ANM skills, we used proxy measures, including: (1) the ANMs point of entry into the study (original ANMs at the initiation of the trial were less skilled than replacement ANMs); (2) the study duration, representing exposure of the ANM to ongoing training and monitoring; and (3) duration of the second stage of labor as a measure of improved delivery practices. Results. As the study duration increased, the duration of the second stage of labor decreased (−0.12, p = 0.001) and as the duration of the second stage of labor decreased, the rate of PPH decreased (0.0282; 95% CI 0.0201–0.0363). For each 10-minute increase in the duration of second stage labor increased PPH odds by 7.1% and each 30-day duration of the trial decreased PPH odds by 3.4%. Additionally, a patient delivered by an original ANM was 3.14 times more likely to have a PPH compared to a patient delivered by a replacement ANM. Conclusions. Declining PPH rates were associated with improved skills and delivery practices that decreased duration of the second stage of labor. These improvements appeared to be consistent with the introduction of the more skilled replacement ANMs as well as ongoing training and monitoring for all ANMs over the duration of the trial.

Impact of training of traditional birth attendants on the newborn care

ObjectiveTo study the impact of training of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) on the Newborn care in resource poor setting in rural area.MethodsA community based study in the Primary Health Center (PHC) area was conducted over one year period between March 2006 to February 2007. The study participants were 50 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)who conduct home deliveries in the PHC area. Training was conducted for two days which included topics on techniques of conducting safe delivery and newborn care practices. Pre-test evaluation regarding knowledge and practices about newborn care was done. Post-test evaluation was done at first month (early) and at fifth month (late) after the training. Analysis was done by using Mc. Nemer’s test, Chi- square test with Yates’s correction and Fischer’s exact test.ResultsPre-test evaluation showed that, knowledge and practices about newborn care services provided by the previously trained TBAs and untrained TBAs were poor. Early and late post-test evaluation showed that, there was a progressive improvement in the newborn care provided by both the groups. Preintervention period (one year prior to the training) and postintervention period (one year after the training) showed that, there was a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in the perinatal deaths (11 to 3) and neonatal deaths (10 to 2) among the deliveries conducted by TBAs after the training.ConclusionTraining programme for TBAs with regular reinforcements in the resource poor setting will not only improve the quality of newborn care but also reduces perinatal deaths.

Morbidity among infants in South India: A longitudinal study

To study the incidence and types of morbidity in the first year of life in a birth cohort, a longitudinal study. This study was undertaken in northern part of Karnataka state in India. Birth cohort consisted of all the children born during first six months of the study period. They were assessed at the time of enrollment and monthly follow up was done till they attained one yr of age. Out of the 194 newborns, 46.4% were boys and 53.6% were girls. 24.8% of newborns were of low birth weight and 5.1% were preterm. Four (2.1%) had congenital anomalies and 2.5% developed birth asphyxia. Diarrhea (10.8%) and skin diseases (8.2%) were the commonest morbidities in the neonatal period. The incidence of morbidity was 3.28 per infant per yr. It was more among boys and in the second half of infancy. Commonest morbidities during infancy were respiratory tract infection (62.4%), diarrhea 42.8% and skin diseases (21.6%). Incidence of disease in infancy highlights the need to improve and plan health programmes.

A study on awareness regarding swine flu (influenza A H1N1) pandemic in an urban community of Karnataka

Background: Globally, India was one among the most affected countries for cases and deaths of swine flu (influenza A H1N1) during 2009 influenza pandemic with lot of public hype and panic. Aims: This study was designed to assess the awareness, attitude, myths and practices regarding Swine flu among urban population of Belgaum district, Karnataka. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted in an urban community of Belgaum, Karnataka during 2009. A total of 250 households were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire by systematic random sampling. One person from each household preferably head of the family was asked regarding knowledge, attitude and practice during swine flu pandemic. Results: Among the study population, 73.6% had previously heard of swine flu. More than half of the participants said mass media communication was found to be the major source of information. Around 82.6% of the participants said fever was the most common symptom and using facemask was accepted as the important mode of prevention by 81.5% participants. Only 19.0% were willing to leave their locality temporarily if any cases were seen around. Majority of the participants selected government hospital for treatment facilities if they get any symptoms of swine flu. Hand washing, as a mode of prevention was known to 92.4% of the respondents. Around 33.4% of the populations were ready to share knowledge to others if they were given health education regarding swine flu. Conclusions: Knowledge regarding swine flu pandemic was low among study participants. Most of the participants had health seeking behavior. Majority of the respondents were practicing hand washing. Strategies to create more awareness about pandemic through effective mass media are vital for containing the pandemic.