Obstetrical & gynecological survey
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Obstet Gynecol Surv · Jul 2012
ReviewObstetric hemorrhage and coagulation: an update. Thromboelastography, thromboelastometry, and conventional coagulation tests in the diagnosis and prediction of postpartum hemorrhage.
Globally, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. In the current treatment of severe PPH, first-line therapy includes transfusion of packed cells and fresh-frozen plasma in addition to uterotonic medical management and surgical interventions. In persistent PPH, tranexamic acid, fibrinogen, and coagulation factors are often administered. ⋯ Fibrinogen seems to play a major role in the course of PPH and can be an early predictor of the severity of PPH. The FIBTEM values (in thromboelastometry, reagent specific for the fibrin polymerization process) decline even more rapidly than fibrinogen levels and can be useful for early guidance of interventions. Data on thromboelastography and thromboelastometry in pregnant women are limited, particularly during the peripartum period and in women with PPH, so more research in this field is needed.
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Obstet Gynecol Surv · Jul 2012
ReviewMaintaining perioperative normothermia in the patient undergoing cesarean delivery.
Anesthesia and surgery interfere with normal thermoregulation, and nearly all patients will become hypothermic unless compensatory measures are used. Preoperative patient warming and intraoperative methods using forced air and warmed intravenous fluids are important methods for maintaining patient's core temperature during the perioperative period. The benefits of maintaining normothermia include reductions in postoperative wound infection, the risk of perioperative coagulopathy, and myocardial ischemia. ⋯ Large prospective studies will be required to show significant effects on rates of maternal wound infection after cesarean delivery. European and American national obstetrical organizations have not published recommendations regarding the perioperative thermal regulation for cesarean delivery. We review the physiology of thermal regulation and perioperative thermal management in surgical patients and the literature that has examined perioperative maternal warming for cesarean delivery.
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Obstet Gynecol Surv · Apr 2012
ReviewInfluenza and tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccinations during pregnancy.
Vaccinations in pregnancy are an important aspect of prenatal care and of improving not only maternal health but also neonatal outcomes. Only 2 vaccines are specifically recommended during pregnancy: influenza and tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap). Because influenza illness disproportionately affects pregnant women compared with other populations, annual prevention of influenza illness is recommended for all women who will be pregnant during influenza season (October to May). Influenza vaccination has been recently reported to also result in decreased febrile respiratory illnesses in the newborn, likely through passive antibody transfer. Pertussis infection rates are rising in the United States as vaccine-induced immunity wanes, with the mortality burden primarily seen in infants aged <6 months. Pertussis immunization with Tdap is now recommended for all pregnant women during the late second (>20 weeks) or third trimester with the intent to both protect the pregnant woman and provide passive antibody to the infant before vaccination at 2 months of age. Provider support for these recommendations regarding both annual influenza vaccination and postpartum Tdap vaccination during pregnancy is critical to ensuring vaccine delivery and improving both maternal and fetal health. The article reviews the epidemiology and clinical aspects of influenza and pertussis infection with particular attention to pregnancy and recommendations for vaccination in these women. ⋯ After completing this CME activity, obstetricians and gynecologists should be better able to analyze how influenza infection disproportionally affects pregnant women. Assess how influenza vaccination improves maternal and likely neonatal outcomes. Evaluate pertussis infection and immunity in adults, and counsel pregnant women as to the benefits of Tdap vaccination, particularly for the infant.
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Obstet Gynecol Surv · Feb 2012
ReviewPreventing obstetric fistulas in low-resource countries: insights from a Haddon matrix.
An obstetric fistula is classically regarded as an "accident of childbirth" in which prolonged obstructed labor leads to destruction of the vesicovaginal/rectovaginal septum with consequent loss of urinary and/or fecal control. Obstetric fistula is highly stigmatizing and afflicted women often become social outcasts. Although obstetric fistula has been eliminated from advanced industrialized nations, it remains a major public health problem in the world's poorest countries. Several million cases of obstetric fistula are currently thought to exist in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. Although techniques for the surgical repair of such injuries are well known, it is less clear which strategies effectively prevent fistulas, largely because of the complex interactions among medical, social, economic, and environmental factors present in those countries where fistulas are prevalent. This article uses the Haddon matrix, a standard tool for injury analysis, to examine the factors influencing obstetric fistula formation in low-resource countries. Construction of a Haddon matrix provides a "wide angle" overview of this tragic clinical problem. The resulting analysis suggests that the most effective short-term strategies for obstetric fistula prevention will involve enhanced surveillance of labor, improved access to emergency obstetric services (particularly cesarean delivery), competent medical care for women both during and after obstructed labor, and the development of specialist fistula centers to treat injured women where fistula prevalence is high. The long-term strategies to eradicate obstetric fistula must include universal access to emergency obstetric care, improved access to family planning services, increased education for girls and women, community economic development, and enhanced gender equity. Successful eradication of the obstetric fistula will require the mobilization of sufficient political will at both the international and individual country levels to ensure that adequate resources are devoted to this problem and that maternal health becomes a high priority on national political agendas. ⋯ After participating in this CME activity, physicians should be better able to apply the Haddon matrix, a tool commonly used for injury analysis, to the field of obstetrics and gynecology; analyze the problem of obstructed labor and obstetric fistula formation in low-resource countries using the Haddon matrix, and implement possible strategies for the prevention of obstetric fistulas and the mitigation of harm in cases of obstructed labor that arise from the use of the Haddon matrix.
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Obstet Gynecol Surv · Feb 2012
Review Case ReportsThe potential impact of physical activity during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Pregnancy is a critical period of body weight regulation. Maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain have become increasingly common and contribute to poor obstetrical outcomes for mother and baby. Regular participation in physical activity may improve risk profiles in pregnant women. ⋯ After participating in this CME activity, physicians should be better able to classify the potential impact of physical activity on maternal glycemic control and fetal growth outcomes. Assess maternal lifestyle and provide recommendations on appropriate gestational weight gain, evaluate pregnant women for contraindications to physical activity participation, make individualized recommendations for exercise participation, and educate patients on the merits of physical activity for health benefit.