Obstetric haematology

Serpin E1/PAI-1, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NTpro-BNP) and neuropilin-1 are markers which have been associated with endothelial dysfunction. However, data on the levels of these markers in PE is limited. The limited data on the pathophysiology of PE in relation to these markers necessitated the study. This was a multicentre case-control study conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital and the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital...

Prevention of iron deficiency (ID), the most common micronutrient deficiency in infants and children, begins prenatally by ensuring adequate fetal loading. Adequate intrauterine iron status is crucial for normal fetal brain development, postnatal brain performance and prevention of early postnatal iron deficiency, particularly in infants fed exclusively human milk. Adequate fetal loading may be achieved in some cases through adequate maternal iron levels prior to pregnancy and oral iron supplementation during pregnancy...

RATIONALE: Video visits became more widely available during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the ongoing role and value of video visits in care delivery and how these may have changed over time are not well understood. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Compare the relative complexity of in-person versus video visits during the COVID-19 pandemic and describe the complexity of video visits over time. METHODS: We used billing data for in-person and video revisits from non-behavioural health specialities with the most video visit utilisation (≥50th percentile) at a large, urban, public healthcare system from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2022...

BACKGROUND: The Haematological Reference Intervals (RIs) are prone to vary on the basis of various factors such as altitude, age, sex, socioeconomic status, etc. These values play a major role in laboratory data interpretation and determine the necessary clinical treatment. Currently, India has no well-established RI for cord blood haematological parameters of newborns. This study aims to establish these intervals from Mumbai, India. METHOD: A cross sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital of India from October 2022 to December 2022 on healthy and term neonates having normal birth weight and born to healthy pregnant mothers...

Trastuzumab is a humanised, monoclonal antibody that interferes with the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu receptor and binds selectively to the HERB2 protein. It has been shown to prolong survival of patients with HER2-positive advanced uterine serous carcinoma.We report the case of a woman in her 70s with HER2-positive metastatic papillary serous endometrial adenocarcinoma, who experienced severe thrombocytopenia related to trastuzumab administration. One week after the first dose of carboplatin/paclitaxel/trastuzumab combination chemotherapy, the patient was admitted to the hospital with vaginal bleeding, melena, petechiae and platelet counts of 0×109 /L...

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is not uncommonly seen in pregnancy, either with the first episode or with the exacerbation of known disease. The management of TTP in pregnancy can be challenging if there is refractoriness to the use of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and high-dose corticosteroids. Caplacizumab, a vWF-directed humanized antibody fragment, is approved for the treatment of acquired TTP but there is sparse data on its use in pregnant patients. Antenatal and peripartum haemorrhage is a theoretical concern with the use of the medication in the obstetric population...

The management of pregnant women with thrombophilia and a history of gestational vascular complications remains debatable. Treatment of the latter is often based on clinical outcome rather than disease mechanism. While the use of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in pregnancy is recommended for those at increased risk, the ability of anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet agents to lower the risk of placenta-mediated complications in this clinical setting remains controversial. The available guidelines are inconsistent in some situations, which reflects the limited evidence base...

Specialists in Obstetric Haematology continue to be challenged by pregnant women with mechanical heart valves, who are at high risk of death or severe morbidity. Effective anticoagulation to reduce valve thrombosis inevitably increases risk of obstetric haemorrhage and fetal loss or harm, and difficult decisions need to be made. Lester and mulitdisciplinary colleagues on behalf of the British Society for Haematology review available evidence and provide comprehensive recommendations to guide management in this difficult area...

Anaemia in pregnancy is common, however, only a few cases of pregnancy-associated autoimmune haemolytic anaemia have been documented. Typically, such cases involve a positive direct antiglobulin test and have the potential to cause haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. Rarely, no autoantibodies are detected. We report two cases of direct antiglobulin test negative haemolytic anaemia occurring in multiparous women with no cause found. Both women had a haematological response to corticosteroid therapy and delivery...

Preeclampsia is a disorder affecting multiple organ systems. Preeclampsia with severe features may prompt consideration of delivery. The diagnostic criteria for preeclampsia with severe features, while focusing upon maternal cardiopulmonary, neurological, hepatic, renal and haematological systems, vary considerably in international practice guidelines. In the absence of alternative causes, severe hyponatraemia, pleural effusions and ascites, and abrupt severe maternal bradycardia are proposed as possible additional criteria for the diagnosis of preeclampsia...

Thalassaemia is a typically monogenic disease caused by mutations or deletions in the globin gene and has a high prevalence in southern China. Prenatal screening for thalassaemia can be effective in reducing the incidence of thalassaemia. Haematologic parameters of pregnant thalassaemia carriers are diverse and potentially valuable for identifying different types of genotypes. By comparing and evaluating haematological parameters, formulas in the literature, we tried to reveal differences between pregnant women carrying different types of thalassaemia genes...

OBJECTIVES: HALT-IT was an international, randomised trial which assessed the effects of tranexamic acid (TXA) in 12 009 patients with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. The results found no evidence that TXA reduces death. It is widely accepted that results of trials should be interpreted in the context of other relevant evidence. We conducted a systematic review and individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis to assess if the results of HALT-IT are compatible with evidence for TXA in other bleeding conditions...

Haemoglobin E (HbE) affects at least 1 million people around the world. The carrier frequency of HbE/beta-thalassaemia (HbE/β-thalassaemia) is highest in Southeast Asia. In India, the highest frequency is observed in the northeast region. Distinguishing between homozygous HbE disease and HbE/β-thalassaemia is a challenge to the haematopathologist as well as to the treating obstetrician because both are clinically and haematologically similar, posing a difficulty in managing anaemia and assessing the fetal risk for the same disease...

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell trait (SCT) is a congenital condition caused by the inheritance of a single allele of the abnormal haemoglobin beta gene, HbS. Carriers of SCT are generally asymptomatic, and they do not manifest the clinical and haematological abnormalities of sickle cell anaemia (SCA). However, there is evidence that they display some symptoms in stressful situations. Pregnancy is a stressful physiological event, and it is not clear if SCT adversely affects pregnancy outcomes, particularly in those from developing countries where people regularly suffer from nutritional insufficiency...

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a significant public health problem globally. Although it is a well-known cause of macrocytic anaemia and in advanced cases, pancytopenia, there remains a relative paucity of cases reported in pregnancy. It is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes such as neural tube defects, preterm birth, low birth weight, neurological sequelae and intrauterine death. It has a predilection for individuals aged >60 years. It has been implicated in a spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders and it may also exert indirect cardiovascular effects...

INTRODUCTION: hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSCT) is a treatment option for malignant and non-malignant haematological diseases. Because of the improved survival rates and the more widespread use of reproductive technologies in the last two decades, the number of patients who conceive is increasing while the pathogenesis of some obstetrical complications observed is not yet fully clarified. METHODS: we present complete data about two pregnancies in women who had previously undergone HSTC, with conditioning regimen including total body irradiation...

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Risk assessment for venous thromboembolism in pregnancy and the puerperium is currently limited to stratifying clinical surrogate risk factors without high-quality evidence. While the absolute risk of pregnancy-associated venous thromboembolism is low for the vast majority of women, associated morbidity and mortality remains significant. As guidelines for thromboprophylaxis vary widely, some women may be under- or over-anticoagulated, contributing to poor outcomes. New global coagulation assays provide a holistic view of coagulation and may have the potential to detect hypercoagulability in pregnancy, unlike clinically available coagulation assays...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the comparative accuracy of risk assessment models (RAMs) to identify women during pregnancy and the early postnatal period who are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). DESIGN: Systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and two research registers were searched until February 2021. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: All validation studies that examined the accuracy of a multivariable RAM (or scoring system) for predicting the risk of developing VTE in women who are pregnant or in the puerperium (within 6 weeks post-delivery)...

OBJECTIVE: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has been used to reduce dose to bone marrow (BM) irradiation during pelvic conformal radiotherapy by contouring bone marrow and sparing it during radiotherapy planning. The present study was done to compare CT & MRI for contouring bone marrow to spare functional bone marrow for Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in carcinoma cervix and to assess its effect on functional outcome. MATERIAL & METHODS: This prospective, observational study included newly diagnosed carcinoma cervix patients treated by radical chemoradiation...