Mode of delivery and neonatal respiratory morbidity among HIV-exposed newborns in Latin America and the Caribbean: NISDI Perinatal-LILAC Studies

Fetal Clinical and Paraclinical Outcomes in HIV-Positive Pregnant Women

Background Adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remain significantly increased. Untreated maternal infection primarily leads to fetal complications, such as intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, or preterm birth. Concerning both maternal and fetal complications that can appear in pregnancy associated with HIV infection, the purpose of the study was to determine fetal and maternal demographic characteristics and the correlation between blood count parameters and poor fetal prognosis. Methods We conducted a quantitative study utilizing document review as the data collection method. This study encompassed a cohort of nine HIV-positive pregnant women who delivered at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the University Emergency Hospital in Bucharest from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2023. A comparative cohort of nine healthy pregnant women who delivered during the same period in the same facility was selected using stratified random sampling. We examined maternal and fetal demographic parameters and neonatal outcomes, reporting them to paraclinical laboratory data. Results The incidence of pregnancy-related HIV infections was 0.16%. The mean age of patients in the selected group was 29.88 ± 5.53. There was no statistically significant correlation between maternal clinical and paraclinical parameters in the HIV-positive and HIV-negative groups. Although there was a slightly negative difference in the fetal weight at birth, the 1-min APGAR (appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration) score, and the intrauterine growth restriction between the two groups, there was a statistically significant association between admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the neonates from HIV-positive pregnancies. In our study, we observed preterm deliveries in 22.22% of cases, and we did not record any stillbirths. The 1-min APGAR score was correlated with the value of leukocytes in peripheral blood. Vertical transmission was established to be 11.11% independent of maternal blood count parameters. Conclusion HIV infection during pregnancy leads to a higher risk of admission to the NICU. Fetal leukocytosis is indicative of a lower 1-min APGAR score. The primary emphasis of therapeutic intervention during pregnancy should center on vigilant monitoring of maternal viral load and the timely administration of antiretroviral therapy to enhance fetal outcomes.

Growth patterns and their contributing factors among HIV-exposed uninfected infants

With expanded HIV treatment and prevention programmes, most infants born to HIV‐positive women are uninfected, but the patterns and determinants of their growth are not well described. This study aimed to assess growth patterns in a cohort of HIV‐exposed uninfected (HEU) infants who participated in an experimental HIV vaccine trial and to test for associations with maternal and infant factors, including in‐utero exposure to antiretroviral therapy (ART), mode of delivery, exclusive breastfeeding, mother's education and receipt of the vaccine. Infants in the trial were seen at regular clinic visits from birth to 48 weeks of age. From the anthropometric measurements at these visits, weight‐for‐age z‐scores (WAZ), weight‐for‐length z‐scores (WLZ) and length‐for‐age z‐scores (LAZ) were computed using World Health Organization (WHO) software and reference tables. Growth patterns were investigated with respect to maternal and infant factors, using linear mixed regression models. From 94 infants included at birth, growth data were available for 75.5% at 48 weeks. The determinants of infant growth in this population are multifactorial: infant LAZ during the first year was significantly lower among infants delivered by caesarean section (p = 0.043); both WAZ and LAZ were depressed among infants with longer exposure to maternal ART (WAZ: p = 0.015; LAZ: p < 0.0001) and among infants of mothers with lower educational level (WAZ: p = 0.038; LAZ: p < 0.0001); the effect of maternal education was modified by breastfeeding practice, with no differences seen in exclusively breastfed infants. These findings inform intervention strategies to preserve growth in this vulnerable infant population.

Cesarean section and the risk of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To explore the association between cesarean section (CS) and the risk of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov database for studies related to the association between CS and the risk of neonatal RDS up to 25 August 2018. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a random-effects model (REM).

RESULTS

A total of 26 studies from 25 available articles were included in this meta-analysis. For the association between CS and the risk of neonatal RDS, the pooled OR was 1.76 (95% CI 1.48-2.09). The pooled OR of the risk of neonatal RDS was 2.38 (95% CI 1.89-2.99) for elective CS and 1.85 (95% CI 1.34-2.56) for emergency CS.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis suggested that CS, elective CS, and emergency CS were associated with an increased risk of neonatal RDS.

Elective cesarean section for women living with HIV: a systematic review of risks and benefits

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Objective and design:

To inform WHO guidelines, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess maternal and perinatal outcomes comparing cesarean section (c-section) before labor and rupture of membranes [elective c-section (ECS)] with other modes of delivery for women living with HIV.

Methods:

We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, CENTRAL, and previous reviews to identify published trials and observational studies through October 2015. Results were synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis, stratifying for combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), CD4⁺/viral load (VL), delivery at term, and low-income/middle-income countries.

Results:

From 2567 citations identified, 36 articles met inclusion criteria. The single randomized trial, published in 1999, reported minimal maternal morbidity and significantly fewer infant HIV infections with ECS [odds ratio (OR) 0.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.0–0.5]. Across observational studies, ECS was associated with increased maternal morbidity compared with vaginal delivery (OR 3.12, 95% CI 2.21–4.41). ECS was also associated with decreased infant HIV infection overall (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.30–0.63) and in low-income/middle-income countries (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.16–0.45), but not among women on cART (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.47–1.43) or with CD4⁺ cell count more than 200/VL less than 400/term delivery (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.21–1.63). Infant morbidity moderately increased with ECS.

Conclusion:

Although ECS may reduce infant HIV infection, this effect was not statistically significant in the context of cART and viral suppression. As ECS poses other risks, routine ECS for all women living with HIV may not be appropriate. Risks and benefits will differ across settings, depending on underlying risks of ECS complications and vertical transmission during delivery. Understanding individual client risks and benefits and respecting women's autonomy remain important.

Meconium aspiration syndrome in infants of HIV-positive women: a case-control study

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to determine whether maternal HIV infection in the current era is associated with an increased incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) in their infants.

METHODS

Infants born to 149 HIV-positive women at our hospital over a 5-year period were compared with infants born to HIV-negative women in a retrospective case-control study. Charts of all 298 patients included in the study were reviewed for maternal and infant demographics, HIV treatment, vertical transmission and untoward events at delivery or during the hospital course.

RESULTS

When compared with HIV-negative women, a greater proportion of HIV-positive women had meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF), 33% vs. 13%, P<0.001; and thick MSAF, 17% vs. 5%, P<0.001, respectively. Seven of 298 infants were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for MAS; all seven were born to HIV-positive women (P=0.015). Although in utero exposure to illicit drugs is a reported risk factor for meconium staining of the amniotic fluid and such drug exposure was more common among our HIV-positive sample, controlling for this and other possible covariates did not greatly reduce the association of HIV status with meconium-related complications of delivery.

CONCLUSIONS

Infants born to HIV-positive women had significantly more MSAF and MAS than infants born to non-infected women. It is unclear whether this association results from maternal HIV infection itself or from anti-retroviral therapy. Maternal and infant care providers should be prepared for this complication when attending to the deliveries of HIV-positive women.