Platelet Counts and Coagulation Tests Prior to Neuraxial Anesthesia in Patients With Preeclampsia: A Retrospective Analysis

This retrospective, descriptive study aimed to assess hematologic testing practices in 100 patients with preeclampsia undergoing neuraxial blockade (NB). Prior to NB, platelet (PLT) count was performed in 61 (98%) of 62 women in labor and in 37 (97%) of 38 women undergoing cesarean delivery (CD). No patients had a pre-NB PLT count 12 hours. The lack of consistency in pre-NB coagulation testing and the variable time intervals between laboratory tests and NB may be due to a lack of consensus among anesthesiologists for determining “safe” hemostatic conditions for NB placement in patients with preeclampsia

Maternal outcomes of term breech presentation delivery: impact of successful external cephalic version in a nationwide sample of delivery admissions in the United States

Background: We aimed to define the frequency and predictors of successful external cephalic version in a nationally-representative cohort of women with breech presentations and to compare maternal outcomes associated with successful external cephalic version versus persistent breech presentation. Methods: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a United States healthcare utilization database, we identified delivery admissions between 1998 and 2011 for women who had successful external cephalic version or persistent breech presentation (including unsuccessful or no external cephalic version attempt) at term. Multivariable logistic regression identified patient and hospital-level factors associated with successful external cephalic version. Maternal outcomes were compared between women who had successful external cephalic version versus persistent breech. Results: Our study cohort comprised 1,079,576 delivery admissions with breech presentation; 56,409 (5.2 %) women underwent successful external cephalic version and 1,023,167 (94.8 %) women had persistent breech presentation at the time of delivery. The rate of cesarean delivery was lower among women who had successful external cephalic version compared to those with persistent breech (20.2 % vs. 94.9 %; p 7 days (aOR = 0.53, 95 % CI 0.40–0.70), but had a higher risk of chorioamnionitis (aOR = 1.83, 95 % CI 1.54–2.17). Conclusions: Overall a low proportion of women with breech presentation undergo successful external cephalic version, and it is associated with significant reduction in the frequency of cesarean delivery and a number of measures of maternal morbidity. Increased external cephalic version use may be an important approach to mitigate the high rate of cesarean delivery observed in the United States

Prevalence and predictors for postpartum sleep disorders: a nationwide analysis

To describe the prevalence and predictors of postpartum sleep disorders. A retrospective cohort study. Postpartum. Commercially insured women delivering in California (USA) between 2011 and 2014. Using the Optum Clinformatics Datamart Database. Prevalence of a postpartum sleep disorder diagnosis with and without a depression diagnosis up to 12 months following hospital discharge for inpatient delivery. We also identified predictors of a postpartum sleep disorder diagnosis using multivariable logistic regression. We identified 3535 (1.9%) women with a postpartum sleep disorder diagnosis. The prevalence of sleep disorder diagnoses was insomnia (1.3%), sleep apnea (0.25%), and other sleep disorder (0.25%). The odds of a postpartum sleep disorder were highest among women with a history of drug abuse (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.79–4.09); a stillbirth delivery (aOR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.53–3.01); and chronic hypertension (aOR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.57–2.11). A comorbid diagnosis of a postpartum sleep disorder and depression occurred in 1182 women (0.6%). These women accounted for 33.4% of all women with a postpartum sleep disorder. The strongest predictors of a comorbid diagnosis were a history of drug abuse (aOR: 4.13; 95% CI: 2.37–7.21) and a stillbirth delivery (aOR: 2.93; 95% CI: 1.74–4.92). Postpartum sleep disorders are underdiagnosed conditions, with only 2% of postpartum women in this cohort receiving a sleep diagnosis using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. Insomnia was the most common disorder and one-third of women diagnosed with a postpartum sleep disorder had a co-morbid diagnosis of depression. Future studies are needed to improve the screening and diagnostic accuracy of postpartum sleep disorders.</p