Obstetrics high risk, fetal medicine

Abnormal placentation often requires the involvement of a multidisciplinary team of medical caregivers. Practicing Obstetrics is a challenging and skillful duty. This is more obvious in cases of abnormal placentation, which represents one of the most dangerous and complex clinical conditions in materno-fetal medicine. Pathological placentation involves position and invasion abnormalities and represents a serious and potentially life-threatening condition for both the pregnant woman and the fetus. The dramatic increase in cesarean section rates is an important factor which could explain the rapid raise in abnormal placentation cases, which were considered rare a few years ago...

Psychiatric disorders are common in pregnancy, affecting 15-29% of pregnant women. Untreated depression has negative health consequences for mother and fetus. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective option for the treatment of severe depression, high suicide risk, catatonia, medication-resistant illness, psychotic agitation, severe physical decline, and other life-threatening conditions. To our knowledge, however, there is no literature that consolidates all the evidence on maternal and fetal risks associated with untreated depression, medications, and ECT then translating it into one cohesive protocol that could serve as a management guide and a source of reassurance to health-care providers involved in such practice...

This is a retrospective analysis of the patient demographics and cytogenetic results of patients who underwent prenatal invasive testing for genetic analysis at the Foetal Medicine Division of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute. The main objective of this study was to characterise the changing trends in indications of pregnant women for foetal karyotyping in a 7-year period. A total of 257 procedures were performed in this period, and there was a significant change in the trend of indications for invasive prenatal diagnosis from an advanced maternal age in 2009 to a positive screen test by 2014...

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of pregnancies and deliveries in women after solid organ transplantations with respect to the maternal and fetal risks. DESIGN: Overview article. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague. METHODS: Literature search using the Web of Science, Ovid, Cochrane, Google Scholar and Medline databases with keywords (transplantation, pregnancy, immunosuppression) and analysis of articles published in impact and reviewed journals from 1958 to 2017...

OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of pregnancy-related maternal mortality in the United States, and congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of structural heart disease affecting women of childbearing age. Most females born with CHD will reach childbearing age and consider pregnancy. Adult CHD and maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialists managing women with CHD should provide preconception counseling, cardiovascular risk assessment prior to pregnancy that estimates maternal and fetal risk, management during pregnancy, and in the peripartum period and also know the potential complications and special circumstances that may occur in the post-partum period...

BACKGROUND: Obesity in pregnancy has become one of the most important challenges in obstetrical care given its prevalence and potential adverse impact on both mother and fetus. The primary objective of this descriptive review is to identify common themes and distinctions within the current recommendations for maternal obesity in the most updated version of four published national guidelines. METHODS: We reviewed the following guidelines for obesity in pregnancy: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2015, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RANZCOG) 2013, Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (RCOG) 2010, and Society of Obstetrics and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) 2010...

AIM: Summarize the results of the many, but often underpowered, studies on pregnancy complicated by myoma or myomectomy. METHODS: Survey of the electronic PubMed database for the last two decades was conducted. We selected reviews, meta-analyses, case series, case reports, clinical studies only with statistical analysis, and guidelines from scientific societies. RESULTS: Delaying childbearing leads to an increased incidence of pregnancy complicated by fibroids or previous myomectomy...

BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia is a systemic disease connected with high maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Despite significant progress achieved in perinatal medicine, pre-eclampsia is still one of the most significant current problems in obstetrics. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to establish diagnostic algorithms for early and late pre-eclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 320 pregnant women between 11 + 0 and 13 + 6 weeks of gestation were recruited for a case-control study...

All providers who care for reproductive-aged women with cardiac disease should assess these patients' desires and plans for pregnancy at every encounter. For those considering pregnancy, preconception counseling, often performed by a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, can help patients understand the potential implications of pregnancy on their health and estimate the risks of an adverse cardiac event prior to conceiving. There are cardiac conditions, such as pulmonary hypertension and aortic stenosis, in which pregnancy may be contraindicated given the high morbidity and mortality; there are tools available to help quantify a patient's risk...

Antithrombin (AT) deficiency is a high-risk thrombophilia and a rare condition. Despite full anticoagulation during pregnancy and the postpartum period, women with AT deficiency may still be vulnerable to developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), including fatal events. There is limited guidance on the management of AT deficiency in pregnancy, including the role of AT concentrates. Following a comprehensive review of the state of the art with respect to recommendations and guidelines, our expert panel in maternal-fetal medicine, hematology and basic science reached consensus on key issues in the recognition and management of AT deficiency in pregnancy...

Introduction CHD occurs in about 1% of the United States population, and is now the most common cardiac condition affecting women during pregnancy. METHODS: An anonymous, single-site, cross-sectional, 50-question survey was performed at a national Adult Congenital Heart Disease conference to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding cardiac care during pregnancy in women with CHD. RESULTS: A total of 77 women completed the survey. Among them, 50% (n=39) had moderate and 38% (n=29) had severely complex disease; 30% (n=23) of women were told that pregnancy was contraindicated given their underlying cardiac condition...

PURPOSE: To compare maternal and fetal effects of intravenous phenylephrine and ephedrine administration during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery in high-risk pregnancies. SOURCE: An extensive literature search was conducted using the US National Library of Medicine, MEDLINE search engine, Cochrane review, and Google Scholar using search terms "ephedrine and phenylephrine," "preterm and term and spinal hypotension," "preeclampsia and healthy parturients," or "multiple and singleton gestation and vasopressor...

BACKGROUND: Perinatal services exist today as a dyad of maternal and neonatal care. When perinatal care is fragmented or unavailable, excess morbidity and mortality may occur in pregnant women and newborns. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to describe spatial relationships between women of reproductive age, individual perinatal subspecialists (maternal-fetal medicine and neonatology), and obstetric and neonatal critical care facilities in the United States to identify gaps in health care access...

BACKGROUND: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a specific pregnancy-related disorder without standard medical therapies. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the most used medicine, but the efficacy and safety of UDCA remain uncertain. Several meta-analyses had been made to assess the effects of UDCA in ICP. However, the samples were not large enough to convince obstetricians to use UDCA. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects and safety of UDCA in patients with ICP, which included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs)...

OBJECTIVE: To characterize subsequent pregnancy outcomes among women with a history of previable, preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM) and assess factors associated with recurrent preterm birth. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of women cared for with a history of one or more singleton pregnancy complicated by preterm PROM at less than 24 weeks of gestation between 2002 and 2013 who were cared for in two tertiary care health systems by a single group of maternal-fetal medicine specialists...

BACKGROUND: Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) affects up to 85% of all women during pregnancy, but for the majority self-management suffices. For the remainder, symptoms are more severe and the most severe form of NVP - hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) - affects 0.3-1.0% of pregnant women. There is no widely accepted point at which NVP becomes HG. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the relative clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of treatments for NVP and HG...

Background Homozygous hemoglobin E (HbE) disease is common, especially in Southeast Asia where the prevalence may be as high as nearly 1 % of pregnancies and it is usually associated with mild anemia. Nevertheless, the effects of the disease on pregnancy outcomes have never been explored. Objective To compare the obstetric adverse outcomes between singleton pregnancies complicated with HbE disease and normal controls. Patients and Methods A retrospective cohort study was undertaken by assessment of the database of maternal-fetal medicine units, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, from January 2000 to December 2014 to search for the records of pregnant women complicated by the disease...

Advanced reproductive age (ARA) is a risk factor for female infertility, pregnancy loss, fetal anomalies, stillbirth, and obstetric complications. Oocyte donation reverses the age-related decline in implantation and birth rates of women in their 40s and 50s and restores pregnancy potential beyond menopause. However, obstetrical complications in older patients remain high, particularly related to operative delivery and hypertensive and cardiovascular risks. Physicians should perform a thorough medical evaluation designed to assess the physical fitness of a patient for pregnancy before deciding to attempt transfer of embryos to any woman of advanced reproductive age (>45 years)...

Physiologic alterations of the oral and vulvovaginal mucosal surfaces result from the profound hormonal and immunologic changes of gestation. High estrogen levels are responsible for the vascular changes noted on mucosal surfaces. Gingival hyperemia and edema, gingivitis and pyogenic granuloma are the most common alterations of the oral mucosa during gestation. Physiologic changes of the vulvovaginal area are mainly of vascular nature, and include among others varicose veins. The oral and vulvovaginal mucosal surfaces can be affected by diseases that can worsen or develop in pregnancy...

Objectives In 2011, a workforce assessment conducted by the Georgia Maternal and Infant Health Research Group found that 52 % of Primary Care Service Areas outside metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, had an overburdened or complete lack of obstetric care services. In response to that finding, this study's aim was twofold: to describe challenges faced by providers who currently deliver or formerly delivered obstetric care in these areas, and to identify essential core components that can be integrated into alternative models of care in order to alleviate the burden placed on the remaining obstetric providers...