Emergencies associated with pregnancy and delivery: peripartum hemorrhage

Transvaginally surgically treatment of early postpartum hemorrhage caused by lower uterine segment atony

OBJECTIVES

Prove the success of transvaginal hemostatic procedures in treatment of the early postpartum hemorrhage caused by lower uterine segment atony.

METHODS

We have conducted a retrospective, clinical study during a 10-year period (2010-2019) in our institution that is tertiary perinatal university center.

RESULTS

This particular study enrolled total number of 29,543 deliveries with 215 cases of early postpartum hemorrhage (0.72%). Lower uterine segment atony was diagnosed in 44 cases (29.93%) in all uterine atony cases of early postpartum hemorrhage. Hemostatic ligation procedures according to authors: Losickaja in two cases, Hebisch-Huch in 13 cases, Habek in seven cases, Hebisch-Huch + Losickaja in 10 cases. According to our results, hemostatic ligation procedures alone (32 cases; 72.72%) or combined with gauze or ballon tamponade (five cases, 11.36%), have shown to be highly effective in 37 cases (84.09%).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower uterine segment atony should definitely be identified and understood as a clinical entity. Transvaginal hemostatic approach for surgical treatment of lower uterine segment atony is accessible, minimally invasive, feasible, successful and lifesaving. All of the above-mentioned methods are of great importance in the prevention and treatment of obstetric shock, multiorgan failure, postpartum hysterectomy and finally vital for fertility preservation.

Prevalence and Fetomaternal Outcome of Placenta Previa at Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain

Background

Placenta previa is a condition which occurs when the placenta implants in the lower uterine segment, thus obstructing delivery. It is considered a grave pregnancy complication as it is associated with massive maternal hemorrhage. The condition is associated with previous cesarean delivery, multiple gestations, and increased maternal age. The placental villi may abnormally adhere, invade, or penetrate the myometrium causing accreta, increta, or percreta, respectively. It is the most common indication of peripartum hysterectomy. The gold standard for diagnosis of placenta previa is transvaginal ultrasound. 

Objective

This study aims to calculate the prevalence of placenta previa in relation to the known risk factors and to determine the fetomaternal outcome which will aid in improving the obstetric care of patients with placenta previa. 

Methods

A total of 216 placenta previa cases diagnosed between October 2014 and December 2018 were evaluated in a retrospective cross-sectional study. Analysis of the data was conducted using SPSS software, version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).

Results

The total number of deliveries during the study period was 25,693 out of which 216 were diagnosed with placenta previa. Thus, the prevalence of placenta previa is 0.84%. The mean age at diagnosis was 32.8 years. At diagnosis, 23.1% of the cases were primiparous. Of the 216 patients, 1.9% were diagnosed with placenta percreta, of which 5.1% received a hysterectomy; 59.7% had uncomplicated elective cesarean delivery at 37-38 weeks of gestation. The mean gestational age at emergency delivery was 35.97 (+-3.1).

Conclusion

The study highlights that although risk factors increase the likelihood of placenta previa, it is necessary to rule it out in women with no known risk factors.

Pr-AKI: Acute Kidney Injury in Pregnancy – Etiology, Diagnostic Workup, Management

Despite significant improvements in inpatient and outpatient management, pregnancy-related acute kidney injury (Pr-AKI) remains an important risk factor for early and late maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. There is a discrepancy between the incidence of Pr-AKI in developing and in developed countries, with the former experiencing a decrease and the latter an increase in Pr-AKI in recent decades. Whereas septic and hemorrhagic complications predominated in the past, nowadays hypertensive disorders and thrombotic microangiopathy are the leading causes of Pr-AKI. Modern lifestyles and the availability and widespread use of in-vitro fertilization techniques in industrialized countries have allowed more women of advanced age to become pregnant. This has led to a rise in the percentage of high-risk pregnancies due to the disorders and comorbidities inherent to or accompanying aging, such as diabetes, arterial hypertension and preexisting chronic kidney disease. Last but not least, the heterogeneity of symptoms, the often overlapping clinical and laboratory characteristics and the pathophysiological changes related to pregnancy make the diagnosis and management of Pr-AKI a difficult and challenging task for the treating physician. In addition to general supportive management strategies such as volume substitution, blood pressure control, prevention of seizures or immediate delivery, each disease entity requires a specific therapy to reduce maternal and fetal complications. In this review, we used the current literature to provide a summary of the physiologic and pathophysiologic changes in renal physiology which occur during pregnancy. In the second part, we present common and rare disorders which lead to Pr-AKI and provide an overview of the available treatment options.

Major Placenta Previa: Rate, Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes Experience at a Tertiary Maternity Hospital, Sohag, Egypt: A Prospective Study

INTRODUCTION

Major degree placenta is a serious health issue and is associated with high fetal-maternal morbidity and mortality. Literature from developing countries is scant.

AIM

To determine the prevalence and maternal and neonatal outcomes among women with major placenta previa (PP).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prospective descriptive study of 52 singleton pregnancies with PP was evaluated in this study. The study was conducted at Sohag University Hospital, Egypt from January through June 2014. Outcome measures, including the prevalence of PP, maternal and neonatal outcomes, and case-fatality rate.

RESULTS

The total number of deliveries performed during the study period was 3841, of them, 52 cases were placenta previa. Thus, the prevalence of PP was 1.3%. The mean of previous cesarean scars was 2.2±1.4. Of women with PP, 26.4% (n=14) had placenta accreta. In total, 15.1% (n=8) of women underwent an obstetric hysterectomy. From the total no. of babies, 13.2% (n=7) were delivered fresh stillborn babies. Of the surviving babies (n=45), 20% (n=9) required admission to NICU. The frequencies of bowel and bladder injuries were 3.8% (n=2) and 13.2% (n=7) respectively. There was no maternal death in this study.

CONCLUSION

The rate of PP is comparable to previous studies, however, the rate of placenta accreta is high. Also, there are high rates of neonatal mortality and intraoperative complications which can be explained by accreta. The study highlights the need to revise maternity and child health services.

Effect of pregnancy and nitric oxide on the myogenic vasodilation of posterior cerebral arteries and the lower limit of cerebral blood flow autoregulation

Hemorrhage during parturition can lower blood pressure beyond the lower limit of cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation that can cause ischemic brain injury. However, the impact of pregnancy on the lower limit of CBF autoregulation is unknown. We measured myogenic vasodilation, a major contributor of CBF autoregulation, in isolated posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs) from nonpregnant and late-pregnant rats (n = 10/group) while the effect of pregnancy on the lower limit of CBF autoregulation was studied in the posterior cerebral cortex during controlled hemorrhage (n = 8). Pregnancy enhanced myogenic vasodilation in PCA and shifted the lower limit of CBF autoregulation to lower pressures. Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) prevented the enhanced myogenic vasodilation during pregnancy but did not affect the lower limit of CBF autoregulation. The shift in the autoregulatory curve to lower pressures during pregnancy is likely protective of ischemic injury during hemorrhage and appears to be independent of NOS.

[Anesthesiological management of Caesarean sections : nationwide survey in Germany]

BACKGROUND

The rate of Caesarean sections in Germany continues to rise. The change in anesthetic technique of choice from general to spinal anesthesia began later than in other countries and at the last survey in 2002 was not widely established. The literature on the anesthetic management of Caesarean sections contains many controversies, for example fluid preload before performing spinal anesthesia and the vasopressor of choice. Other issues have received relatively little attention, such as the level of experience of anesthesiologists working autonomously on the labour ward or the timing of antibiotic prophylaxis. The aim of the current survey was to provide an updated overview of anesthetic management of Caesarean sections in Germany.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A questionnaire was sent out to 709 departments of anesthesiology serving obstetric units in Germany. The questionnaire concerned various aspects of anesthetic management of Caesarean sections.

RESULTS

A total of 360 questionnaires (50.8%) were returned of which 346 were complete and could be analyzed, accounting for 330,000 births and 90,000 Caesarean sections per year. The predominant anesthetic method used for Caesarean sections was spinal anesthesia (90.8%) using hyperbaric bupivacaine and in approximately one third of the hospitals surveyed without administering intrathecal opioids. Approximately 12% of the departments surveyed used traumatic Quincke needles. In 86.2% the vasopressor of choice was caffedrine/theodrenaline. Nitrous oxide was used in only 19.2% of departments surveyed when general anesthesia is performed. An antibiotic drug was administered in only 11% of hospitals before cord clamping. In 43.1% no neonatologist was available to treat unexpected critically ill newborns. In 32.1% of departments surveyed residents with less than 2 years experience worked autonomously on the labour ward.

CONCLUSIONS

Currently the predominant anesthetic technique of choice in Germany is spinal anaesthesia and at a much higher rate than in 2002. In addition 12% of departments use traumatic Quincke needles which are associated with a higher incidence of postpuncture headache. Nitrous oxide is no longer frequently used in Germany. Finally, the administration of an antibiotic before cord clamping has been shown to lead to lower rates of endometritis and postoperative wound infection without detrimental effects on the newborn. This is practiced in only a small minority of departments across Germany.