Evaluating the maternal and perinatal sequelae of severe gestational hypertension

Trial of Intrapartum Extended-Release Nifedipine to Prevent Severe Hypertension Among Pregnant Individuals With Preeclampsia With Severe Features

BACKGROUND

Preeclampsia is associated with maternal and perinatal morbidity. Besides acute therapy for severe hypertension, best practices are lacking for intrapartum hypertension management. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that intrapartum initiation of extended-release nifedipine in individuals with preeclampsia with severe features prevents severe hypertension.

METHODS

Randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial of individuals with preeclampsia with severe features undergoing labor induction between 22^0/7 and 41^6/7 weeks gestation. Participants were randomized to oral extended-release nifedipine 30 mg or identical placebo every 24 hours. Primary outcome is defined as receipt of ≥1 dose of acute hypertension therapy for severe blood pressure (≥160/110 mm Hg) sustained ≥10 minutes. Secondary outcomes included route of delivery, neonatal intensive care unit admission, and a composite of adverse neonatal outcomes.

RESULTS

Of 365 individuals screened, 55 were randomized to nifedipine and 55 to placebo. Primary outcome was observed in 34.0% of individuals in nifedipine group versus 55.1% in placebo group (relative risk [RR] 0.62 [95% CI, 0.39-0.97]); number needed to treat to prevent receipt of acute treatment was 4.7 (95% CI, 2.5-44.3). Fewer individuals in nifedipine group required cesarean delivery compared with placebo group (20.8% versus 34.7%, RR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.31-1.15]). Neonatal intensive care unit admission rate was lower in nifedipine group compared with placebo (29.1% versus 47.1%; RR 0.62 [95% CI, 0.37-1.02]). Neonatal composite was similar between groups (35.8% versus 41.2%, RR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.51-1.37]).

CONCLUSIONS

Initiation of extended-release nifedipine is effective in reducing intrapartum acute hypertensive therapy among individuals with preeclampsia with severe features.

REGISTRATION

URL: https://www.

CLINICALTRIALS

gov; Unique identifier: NCT04392375.

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Special Statement: A critique of postpartum readmission rate as a quality metric

Hospital readmission is considered a core measure of quality in healthcare. Readmission soon after hospital discharge can result from suboptimal care during the index hospitalization or from inadequate systems for postdischarge care. For many conditions, readmission is associated with a high rate of serious morbidity and potentially avoidable costs. In obstetrics, for postpartum care specifically, hospitals and payers can easily track the rate of maternal readmission after childbirth and may seek to incentivize obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, or provider groups to reduce the rate of readmission. However, this practice has not been shown to improve outcomes or reduce harm. There are major concerns with incentivizing providers to reduce postpartum readmissions, including the lack of a standardized metric, a baseline rate of 1% to 2% that is too low to accurately discriminate between random variation and controllable factors, the need for risk adjustment that greatly complicates rate calculations, the potential for bias depending on the duration of the follow-up interval, the potential for the "gaming" of the metric, the lack of evidence that obstetrical providers can influence the rate, and the potential for unintended harm in the vulnerable postpartum population. Until these problems are adequately addressed, maternal readmission rate after a childbirth hospitalization currently has limited utility as a metric for quality or performance improvement or as a factor to adjust provider reimbursement.

Use of Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin in Studies Assessing Cardiovascular Risk in Women With a History of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Women with a history of hyperBtensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are at particularly high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD-related death, and certain racial and ethnic subpopulations are disproportionately affected by these conditions. We examined the use of race, ethnicity, and national origin in observational studies assessing CVD morbidity and mortality in women with a history of HDP. A total of 124 studies, published between 1976 and 2021, were reviewed. We found that white women were heavily overrepresented, encompassing 53% of all participants with HDP. There was limited and heterogeneous reporting of race and ethnicity information across studies and only 27 studies reported including race and/or ethnicity variables in at least 1 statistical analysis. Only 2 studies mentioned the use of these variables as a strength; several others (k = 18) reported a lack of diversity among participants as a study limitation. Just over half of included articles (k = 68) reported at least 1 sociodemographic variable other than race and ethnicity (eg, marital status and income); however, none investigated how they might have worked synergistically or antagonistically with race and/or ethnicity to influence participants' risk of CVD. These findings highlight significant areas for improvement in cardiovascular obstetrics research, including the need for more robust and standardized methods for collecting, reporting, and using sociodemographic information. Future studies of CVD risk in women with a history of HDP should explicitly examine racial and ethnic differences and use an intersectional approach.