Factors Associated with Occurrence of Stillbirth before 32 Weeks of Gestation in a Contemporary Cohort

Cesarean section "en caul" in preterm twin pregnancy: experience of a single center

PURPOSE

The "en caul" cesarean section (CS) is a method to keep the amnion intact during CS. This amnion protection effect may have benefits in preterm twin pregnancy. This study aimed to explore the benefits and risks of this method in preterm twin pregnancy.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective analysis of preterm twin pregnancies underwent CS in West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2011 to December 2022. Data on maternal and fetal outcomes were collected. Univariable analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

A total of 182 patients were included (90 in the "en caul" group, 92 in the conventional group). "en caul" CS was associated with lower incidence for respiratory distress (aOR 0.47, 95% CI 0.25-0.88, for the first fetus; aOR 0.42, 95% CI 0.21-0.82, for the second fetus). This method was proved to have beneficial effects in improving the Apgar scores at 1st minute and reducing the mechanical ventilation rate in the second neonates (aOR 0.41, 95% CI 0.19-0.88).

CONCLUSION

"En caul" CS is an easy and safe technique to perform during CS for preterm twin pregnancy. The efficacy and safety of this method could be tested by future studies with larger sample size.

Racial and ethnic inequities in stillbirth in the US: Looking upstream to close the gap: Seminars in Perinatology

Though stillbirth rates in the United States improved over the previous decades, inequities in stillbirth by race and ethnicity have persisted nearly unchanged since data collection began. Black and Indigenous pregnant people face a two-fold greater risk of experiencing the devastating consequences of stillbirth compared to their White counterparts. Because race is a social rather than biological construct, inequities in stillbirth rates are a downstream consequence of structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism which shape a landscape of differential access to opportunities for health. These downstream consequences can include differences in the prevalence of chronic health conditions as well as structural differences in the quality of health care or healthy neighborhood conditions, each of which likely plays a role in racial and ethnic inequities in stillbirth. Research and intervention approaches that utilize an equity lens may identify ways to close gaps in stillbirth incidence or in responding to the health and socioemotional consequences of stillbirth. A community-engaged approach that incorporates experiential wisdom will be necessary to create a full picture of the causes and consequences of inequity in stillbirth outcomes. Investigators working in tandem with community partners, utilizing a combination of qualitative, quantitative, and implementation science approaches, may more fully elucidate the underpinnings of racial and ethnic inequities in stillbirth outcomes.

Being Pregnant during COVID-19: Exploring the COVID-19 Related Beliefs, Behaviors, and Birth Outcome among Users of a Pregnancy App

Being pregnant during COVID-19 increases the risk of experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms, which in turn increases the risk of complications. This study aimed to examine COVID-19-related beliefs, behaviors, and birth outcomes among users of Count the Kicks (CTK), a fetal movement tracking app. This study used the End of Pregnancy Survey data from 1037 CTK users. We used descriptive analyses to analyze COVID-19-related beliefs and behaviors and used the chi-square statistic and Z statistic to examine factors associated with vaccination and birth outcome. Nearly half of the survey respondents reported not being concerned that in-person prenatal visits might lead to COVID-19 exposure. Most respondents (65.9%) had already received the COVID-19 vaccine at the time of the survey. The vaccination rate was statistically significantly lower among African Americans than the remaining race/ethnicity groups (mostly white). The healthy birth rate is lower among respondents with high-risk pregnancies, while the stillbirth rate is highest among Hispanics. Vaccination status was not associated with the likelihood of a healthy birth. Our findings confirmed that vaccination does not compromise birth outcomes, further contributing to the existing evidence of COVID vaccine safety during pregnancy. This study also demonstrates an example of using data from a pregnancy app to facilitate research on app users in real-time.

Stillbirths: Contribution of preterm birth and size-for-gestational age for 125.4 million total births from nationwide records in 13 countries, 2000-2020

OBJECTIVE

To examine the contribution of preterm birth and size-for-gestational age in stillbirths using six 'newborn types'.

DESIGN

Population-based multi-country analyses.

SETTING

Births collected through routine data systems in 13 countries.

SAMPLE

125 419 255 total births from 22+0 to 44+6 weeks' gestation identified from 2000 to 2020.

METHODS

We included 635 107 stillbirths from 22+0  weeks' gestation from 13 countries. We classified all births, including stillbirths, into six 'newborn types' based on gestational age information (preterm, PT, <37+0  weeks versus term, T, ≥37+0  weeks) and size-for-gestational age defined as small (SGA, <10th centile), appropriate (AGA, 10th-90th centiles) or large (LGA, >90th centile) for gestational age, according to the international newborn size for gestational age and sex INTERGROWTH-21st standards.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Distribution of stillbirths, stillbirth rates and rate ratios according to six newborn types.

RESULTS

635 107 (0.5%) of the 125 419 255 total births resulted in stillbirth after 22+0  weeks. Most stillbirths (74.3%) were preterm. Around 21.2% were SGA types (PT + SGA [16.2%], PT + AGA [48.3%], T + SGA [5.0%]) and 14.1% were LGA types (PT + LGA [9.9%], T + LGA [4.2%]). The median rate ratio (RR) for stillbirth was highest in PT + SGA babies (RR 81.1, interquartile range [IQR], 68.8-118.8) followed by PT + AGA (RR 25.0, IQR, 20.0-34.3), PT + LGA (RR 25.9, IQR, 13.8-28.7) and T + SGA (RR 5.6, IQR, 5.1-6.0) compared with T + AGA. Stillbirth rate ratios were similar for T + LGA versus T + AGA (RR 0.7, IQR, 0.7-1.1). At the population level, 25% of stillbirths were attributable to small-for-gestational-age.

CONCLUSIONS

In these high-quality data from high/middle income countries, almost three-quarters of stillbirths were born preterm and a fifth small-for-gestational age, with the highest stillbirth rates associated with the coexistence of preterm and SGA. Further analyses are needed to better understand patterns of gestation-specific risk in these populations, as well as patterns in lower-income contexts, especially those with higher rates of intrapartum stillbirth and SGA.

Association between hypoproteinaemia with massive proteinuria and small for gestational age in pre-eclampsia: a single-centre, retrospective cohort study using propensity score matching

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between hypoproteinaemia with massive proteinuria and the incidence of small for gestational age in pre-eclampsia.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study using propensity score matching.

SETTING

Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital in Shaanxi Province, China, using data from January 2016 to December 2021.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients diagnosed with pre-eclampsia were grouped into the massive proteinuria group if the maximum proteinuria was >3.5 g/day and the minimum serum albumin was <30 g/L; otherwise, they were placed in the control group.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was the incidence of small for gestational age infants. Secondary outcomes included fetal death, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, a 5 min APGAR score <7, severe small for gestational age, fetal growth restriction, birth weight, premature birth, and maternal outcomes such as eclampsia, encephalopathy, placental abruption, haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet syndrome, heart failure and retinal detachment.

RESULTS

In total, 468 patients (234 from each group) were included, and the groups were well matched. The incidences of small for gestational age (33.76% vs 20.51%, OR 1.646, 95% CI 1.208 to 2.243, p=0.001), severe small for gestational age (14.70% vs 7.69%, OR 1.833, 95% CI 1.063 to 3.162, p=0.026), fetal growth restriction (23.93% vs 16.24%, OR 1.474, 95% CI 1.018 to 2.133, p=0.038), and the numbers of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (67.52% vs 58.55%, OR 1.153, 95% CI 1.003 to 1.326, p=0.044) were significantly higher in patients with hypoproteinaemia and massive proteinuria than in the control group. In addition, the median birth weight was significantly lower in the massive proteinuria group. There were no significant differences in maternal outcomes except for renal parameters, which were worse in the massive proteinuria group.

CONCLUSION

Hypoproteinaemia with massive proteinuria was associated with fetal growth and a higher incidence of small for gestational age infants in pre-eclampsia.