Development and Implementation of an Integrated Model of Perinatal Diabetes Education and Management to Improve Maternity Outcomes and Health Equity

Diabetes mellitus (DM) confers unique risks during the perinatal period, contributing to maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Integrating DM education and management services with obstetrical care offers key advantages for birthing individuals. The purpose of this study is to describe the development and implementation of a perinatal DM program at a large ambulatory practice serving a diverse population. Understanding this approach and program workflow may facilitate adoption of similar services in other care settings.

Pancreatic Cancer Outcome: Local Treatment with Radiation Using MRI-Linac

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Stereotactic MR-guided on-table adaptive radiotherapy (SMART) is a surging modality in radiotherapy, delivering high dose radiation to the tumor in great proximity to susceptible organs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical outcome in locally advanced or recurrent pancreatic tumors with or without prior irradiation.

MATERIALS/METHODS

All consecutive patients were treated in our center for pancreatic cancer (PC) using SMART technology to a prescription of 50Gy (BED10 100 Gy1o) in 5 fractions, with daily on-table adaptation of treatment plan. Endpoints for this retrospective, single center, IRB approved study were local control, overall survival, local disease-free period, acute and late toxicities.

RESULTS

Fifty-four PC patients were treated between 8.2019-9.2022, with median follow-up of 8.9 months from SMART (0.8-34 months). Forty patients had upfront inoperable PC (45% were metastatic at RT, five treated to liver metastatic lesions concomitantly) and fourteen patients had local recurrence following prior pancreatectomy, six of them had prior adjuvant RT. 87% received at least one round of chemotherapy (Oxaliplatin based- 72%), 25% received ≥2 regimens. Mean age was 68.9 (45-86) years. There was no significant difference in baseline parameters between prior pancreatectomy and inoperable groups. On-table adaptive replanning was performed for 100% of all (269) fractions (one patient received 4 fractions). No patient reported grade ≥2 acute GI toxicity. Six patients reported fatigue at the end of RT, four of them had prior radiation. Forty-eight patients were available for evaluation. Complete local control was achieved in 21.7% (10 patients) for median of 9 months (2.8-28.8 months), three had later local progression. Eight patients had regional or marginal recurrence following treatment. 6-months and 12-months OS was 75% and 52%, respectively. There was no significant difference in toxicity and outcome between post-pancreatectomy and inoperable groups.

CONCLUSION

Pancreatic cancer local ablative SMART is safe, with minimal treatment-related toxicity, even in previously irradiated patients. Local control with complete response was achieved by 20% of patients. Further studies are needed to evaluate long-term outcome and late toxicity.

Tdap vaccination during pregnancy and risk of chorioamnionitis and related infant outcomes

INTRODUCTION

An increased risk of chorioamnionitis in people receiving tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine during pregnancy has been reported. The importance of this association is unclear as additional study has not demonstrated increased adverse infant outcomes associated with Tdap vaccination in pregnancy.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of pregnant people ages 15-49 years with singleton pregnancies ending in live birth who were members of 8 Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) sites during October 2016-September 2018. We used a time-dependent covariate Cox model with stabilized inverse probability weights applied to evaluate associations between Tdap vaccination during pregnancy and chorioamnionitis and preterm birth outcomes. We used Poisson regression with robust variance with stabilized inverse probability weights applied to evaluate the association of Tdap vaccination with adverse infant outcomes. We performed medical record reviews on a random sample of patients with ICD-10-CM-diagnosed chorioamnionitis to determine positive predictive values (PPV) of coded chorioamnionitisfor "probable clinical chorioamnionitis," "possible clinical chorioamnionitis," or "histologic chorioamnionitis."

RESULTS

We included 118,211 pregnant people; 103,258 (87%) received Tdap vaccine during pregnancy; 8098 (7%) were diagnosed with chorioamnionitis. The adjusted hazard ratio for chorioamnionitis in the Tdap vaccine-exposed group compared to unexposed was 0.96 (95% CI 0.90-1.03). There was no association between Tdap vaccine and preterm birth or adverse infant outcomes associated with chorioamnionitis. Chart reviews were performed for 528 pregnant people with chorioamnionitis. The PPV for clinical (probable or possible clinical chorioamnionitis) was 48% and 59% for histologic chorioamnionitis. The PPV for the combined outcome of clinical or histologic chorioamnionitis was 81%.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Tdap vaccine exposure during pregnancy was not associated with chorioamnionitis, preterm birth, or adverse infant outcomes. ICD-10 codes for chorioamnionitis lack specificity for clinical chorioamnionitis and should be a recognized limitation when interpreting results.

Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Arrhythmias following Surgical Repair of Cardiac Defects

OBJECTIVE

 The goal of this study was to investigate whether preexisting cardiac arrhythmias are associated with adverse obstetrical outcomes in women with a history of open cardiac surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

 This was a retrospective cohort study of women with a history of open cardiac surgery who delivered at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (Washington, DC) from January 2007 through December 2018. Women with the isolated percutaneous cardiac surgical repair were excluded. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were compared between patients with preexisting cardiac arrhythmias and patients without preexisting cardiac arrhythmias. Maternal outcomes studied were intensive care unit admission, postpartum blood loss greater than 1,000 mL, congestive heart failure development, preeclampsia with severe features, postpartum readmission, postpartum cardiac events, and postpartum length of stay >5 days. Neonatal outcomes investigated were low birth weight <2,500 g, Apgar's scores <7 at 5 minutes, and neonatal intensive care unit admission. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

 The outcomes for 69 deliveries from 56 women with a history of open cardiac surgery were examined. Thirty-three women (48%) had arrhythmias after cardiac surgery with fourteen (20%) requiring implantable cardioverted defibrillators. Two women (6%) with preexisting arrhythmias after cardiac surgery developed postpartum volume overload requiring readmission (p = 0.06). After controlling for age, gestational age at delivery, and BMI, preeclampsia with severe features (p = 0.02) and low birth weight neonates (p = 0.02, aOR = 2.26 [0.56-9.03]) remained statistically more like to occur in patients with preexisting cardiac arrhythmias than in patients without preexisting arrhythmias.

CONCLUSION

 Women with a history of open cardiac surgery and preexisting cardiac arrhythmias prior to pregnancy are more likely to develop preeclampsia with severe features and have low birth weight neonates compared with women with a history of open cardiac surgery without preexisting cardiac arrhythmias.

KEY POINTS

· Preexisting arrhythmias after cardiac surgery was associated with a risk of preeclampsia.. · Neonates of women with preexisting cardiac arrhythmias are more likely to be low birth weight.. · Forty-seven percent of women with open cardiac surgery developed subsequent arrhythmias..

Association of Inadvertent 9-Valent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine in Pregnancy With Spontaneous Abortion and Adverse Birth Outcomes

IMPORTANCE

The 9-valent human papillomavirus (9vHPV) vaccine is recommended for individuals through age 26 years and may be administered to women up to age 45 years. Data on 9vHPV vaccine exposures during pregnancy are limited.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the associations between 9vHPV vaccine exposures during pregnancy or peripregnancy and selected pregnancy and birth outcomes (spontaneous abortion [SAB], preterm birth, small-for-gestational age [SGA] birth, and major structural birth defect).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study analyzed data from 7 participating health systems in the Vaccine Safety Datalink. The cohort comprised pregnancies among girls and women aged 12 to 28 years that ended between October 26, 2015, and November 15, 2018. Singleton pregnancies that ended in a live birth, stillbirth, or SAB were included.

EXPOSURES

Vaccine exposure windows were distal (9vHPV or 4vHPV vaccine administered from 22 to 16 weeks before last menstrual period [LMP]), peripregnancy (9vHPV vaccine administered from 42 days before LMP until LMP), and during pregnancy (9vHPV vaccine administered from LMP to 19 completed weeks' gestation). Primary comparisons were (1) girls and women with 9vHPV vaccine exposures during pregnancy vs those with 4vHPV or 9vHPV distal vaccine exposures, (2) girls and women with vaccine exposures peripregnancy vs those with 4vHPV or 9vHPV distal vaccine exposures, and (3) girls and women with 9vHPV vaccine exposures during pregnancy or peripregnancy vs those with 4vHPV or 9vHPV distal vaccine exposure.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Spontaneous abortions were confirmed based on medical record review and adjudication. Preterm and SGA births were identified from electronic health record and birth data. Major structural birth defects were based on diagnostic codes using a validated algorithm. Inverse probability weighting was used to balance the covariates. Time-dependent covariate Cox proportional hazards regression models and Poisson regression were used to estimate the associations between 9vHPV vaccine exposures and pregnancy and birth outcomes.

RESULTS

The final cohort included 1493 pregnancies among girls and women with a mean (SD) maternal age of 23.9 (2.9) years. Of these pregnancies, 445 (29.8%) had exposures to the 9vHPV vaccine during pregnancy, 496 (33.2%) had exposures to the 9vHPV vaccine peripregnancy, and 552 (37.0%) had 4vHPV or 9vHPV distal vaccine exposures. The 9vHPV vaccine administered during pregnancy was not associated with increased risk for SAB (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.66-1.93) compared with distal vaccine exposures. Findings were similar for 9vHPV vaccine exposures peripregnancy (relative risk [RR], 0.72; 95% CI, 0.42-1.24). Among live births (n = 1409), 9vHPV vaccine exposures during pregnancy were not associated with increased risks for preterm birth (RR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.44-1.20) or SGA birth (RR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.78-2.20). Results were similar regarding the association between 9vHPV vaccine exposures peripregnancy and preterm birth (RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.45-1.17) and SGA birth (RR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.65-1.88). Birth defects were rare in all exposure groups, occurring in about 1% of live births with available infant data.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study found that 9vHPV vaccine exposures during or around the time of pregnancy were uncommon and not associated with SABs or selected adverse birth outcomes. These findings can inform counseling for inadvertent 9vHPV vaccine exposures.

Coronavirus disease 2019 pregnancy outcomes in a racially and ethnically diverse population

Background

Older age and medical comorbidities are identified risk factors for developing severe coronavirus disease 2019. However, there are limited data on risk stratification, clinical and laboratory course, and optimal management of coronavirus disease 2019 in pregnancy.

Objective

Our study aimed to describe the clinical course of coronavirus disease 2019, effect of comorbidities on disease severity, laboratory trends, and pregnancy outcomes of symptomatic and asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2–positive pregnant women.

Study Design

This is a case series of pregnant and postpartum women who received positive test results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 between March 3, 2020, and May 11, 2020, within 3 hospitals of the Yale New Haven Health delivery network. Charts were reviewed for basic sociodemographic and prepregnancy characteristics, coronavirus disease 2019 course, laboratory values, and pregnancy outcomes.

Results

Of the 1567 tested pregnant and postpartum women between March 3, 2020, and May 11, 2020, 9% (n=141) had a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 result. Hispanic women were overrepresented in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2–positive group (n=61; 43.8%). In addition, Hispanic ethnicity was associated with a higher rate of moderate and severe diseases than non-Hispanic (18% [11/61] vs 3.8% [3/78], respectively; odds ratio, 5.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.46–20.7; P=.01). Of note, 44 women (31.2%) were asymptomatic, 37 of whom (26.2%) were diagnosed on universal screening upon admission for delivery. Moreover, 59% (n=83) were diagnosed before delivery, 36% (n=51) upon presentation for childbirth, and 5% (n=7) after delivery. Severe disease was diagnosed in 6 cases (4.3%), and there was 1 maternal death. Obese women were more likely to develop moderate and severe diseases than nonobese women (16.4% [9/55] vs 3.8% [3/79]; odds ratio, 4.96; 95% confidence interval, 1.28–19.25; P=.02). Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were diagnosed in 22.3% of women (17/77) who delivered after 20 weeks’ gestation. Higher levels of C-reactive protein during antepartum coronavirus disease 2019–related admission were more common in women with worse clinical course; however, this association did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion

Coronavirus disease 2019 in pregnancy may result in severe disease and death. Hispanic women were more likely to receive a positive test result for severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 than other ethnic groups. Obesity and Hispanic ethnicity represent risk factors for moderate and severe diseases.

Intracervical Foley balloon catheter for cervical ripening and labor induction: A review

Labor induction is a common obstetric practice. Optimal methods of both ripening and induction are debated. This article assesses the intracervical Foley balloon catheter through review of literature, including meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and retrospective data. Discussion includes comparison of Foley balloon catheters to pharmacologic agents, safety profile in various clinical scenarios, and cost-effectiveness.