Acta Medica Port
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Hospitalizations due to angioedema are important especially in debilitating or life-threatening situations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and etiology of angioedema without urticaria in hospital admissions. ⋯ The mean annual angioedema admission rate was 72/100 000 and there was airway involvement in 38% of hospitalizations.
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Maternal mortality and morbidity are important indicators of the quality of health-care services. Obstetric admissions to an intensive care unit may be considered a marker of maternal morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, maternal morbidity and mortality of pregnant and postpartum women who required admission to the intensive care unit. ⋯ The incidence of obstetric admissions to the intensive care unit was 0.8% and 0.7 per 1000 deliveries. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were the main causes of admission. Maternal mortality was 4.3%. Studies of maternal morbidity are important and can help to improve the quality of health care services.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
[Very Low Birth Weight Infants in a Portuguese Intensive Care Unit and the Vermont Oxford Network: 15 Years of Registry Data].
Our neonatal service is part of a differentiated perinatal hospital and has contributed to the Vermont Oxford Network for more than 15 years. This data base includes data on the morbidity and mortality of newborns born in the member hospitals with birth weight between 401 and 1500 g and/ or from 22 to 29 weeks and six days of gestation, or those admitted to these hospitals with up to 28 days of age. It thus allows the analysis of clinical practice and its comparison with similar units. The goal of the present paper is to disclose some of our data from the past 15 years and to compare it with the Vermont Oxford Network data trying to identify areas of possible improvement and permitting other neonatal units to compare their data with our in a benchmarking process. ⋯ This study allowed us to compare our population of very low birth weight newborns with those registered in the network. We have verified that we have been accompanying the evolution of Neonatology over the past years and we have identified areas for improvement.
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Endometriosis is a benign, estrogen-dependent chronic disorder. Pregnancy is considered to have a positive effect on endometriosis due to blockage of ovulation; however, evidence is emerging on the role of endometriosis not only in infertility but also in poor pregnancy outcomes. We present the case of a pregnant woman admitted for sudden and severe abdominal pain at 34 weeks gestation. ⋯ During cesarean section, performed by sustained fetal bradycardia, a large volume hemoperitoneum and multiple hemorrhagic foci in the posterior uterine wall were detected. Although rare, spontaneous hemoperitoneum may occur in pregnancy, especially in women with endometriosis. Thus, a prompt suspicion and expedite intervention are needed to improve maternal and fetal outcomes.