Experience with an obstetrical and neonatal intensive care unit

Obstetric admissions to the intensive care unit: a 12-year review

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to ascertain the prevalence, causes and outcome of critically ill obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

DESIGN

The design was a retrospective collection of data.

SETTINGS

The setting was a multidisciplinary ICU in a University hospital.

PATIENTS

All obstetric patients admitted to the ICU over a 12-year period from May 1992 to April 2004 were reviewed.

METHODS

Data collected included demographic characteristics of the patients, pre-existing medical conditions, obstetric complications, invasive procedures required in the ICU and outcome of the patients.

RESULTS

The incidence of obstetric admissions to the ICU represented 0.22% of all deliveries during the study period. The majority (84.4%) of patients were admitted to the ICU postpartum. Obstetric haemorrhage (32.8%) and pregnancy-induced hypertension (17.2%) were the two main obstetrical reasons for admission. The remainder included medical disorders (37.5%) and other causes (6.2%). Associated major complications included adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and HELLP (haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets) syndrome. The perinatal mortality rate was 20% and the maternal mortality rate 9.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

A team approach consisting treatment by obstetricians, intensive care specialists and anaesthesiologists provided optimal care for the patients. Improved management strategies for obstetric haemorrhage and hypertension may significantly reduce maternal morbidity.

Critical illness in pregnancy. An analysis of 20 patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit

There is a paucity of literature with regard to the need for intensive care treatment of critically ill obstetric patients. In this review, the findings from 20 obstetric patients admitted to a medical ICU (MICU) over a 40-month period were analyzed. Demographics, preexistent medical problems, diagnoses, days in the hospital and the MICU, need for mechanical ventilation, maternal and fetal mortality, and invasive procedures were reviewed. (For comparison, a limited analysis of nonobstetric admissions to the MICU over the same time period were included.) Fifty percent (10) of the patients had preexisting medical problems. Maternal mortality was 20 percent (4 patients), with a fetal mortality of 35 percent (7). In all of the maternal deaths, adult respiratory distress syndrome was present. Although mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation did not differ between the obstetric and nonobstetric patients, pulmonary artery and arterial catheters were placed at a higher rate in the obstetric patients. Critically ill obstetric patients, although younger than general MICU patients, appear to have as great a risk of dying of their critical illness and have a high infant mortality.

High risk antenatal hospitalization

High risk, antenatal units have been established to provide highly sophisticated obstetric care for women with complications of pregnancy. In an effort to more precisely define the patients requiring this care, and to begin to document the benefits of antenatal hospitalization, a 2-year prospective evaluation of the Antenatal Unit (AU) at the Brigham and Women's Hospital was performed. Between July 1, 1978 and June 30, 1980, 1488 consecutive patients were admitted to the AU. Demographic data, antenatal hospitalization time, hospitalization outcome, and delivery data were determined for these patients. Diabetes mellitus, premature labor, hypertensive disorders, premature rupture of the membranes, and late pregnancy bleeding disorders resulted in over 60% of the admissions. Follow-up data demonstrated that among these 1488 patients admitted to the AU, there occurred 32 stillbirths (21.5/1000), 50 neonatal deaths (33.6/1000), and no maternal deaths. This study demonstrated that a broad spectrum of medical, surgical, and obstetric complications necessitate antenatal hospitalization, resulting in an overall perinatal survival rate of 95%.

Differences in trends of postneonatal mortality by birthweight in upstate New York, 1968-1979

Postneonatal mortality among neonatal survivors and the distribution of age at death among infant deaths were examined for births occurring in upstate New York, 1968-1979. Postneonatal mortality rates increased among infants weighing 501-1500 grams. Infants weighing 1501-2000 grams experienced an increase in postneonatal mortality during the mid-1970s, later returning to the level of 1968. Among infants 2001+ grams, postneonatal mortality declined throughout the study period. Among all levels of birthweight, the proportion of infant deaths occurring as postneonatal deaths increased.