Wireless Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring in Inpatient Full-Term Pregnant Women: Testing Functionality and Acceptability

We tested functionality and acceptability of a wireless fetal monitoring prototype technology in pregnant women in an inpatient labor unit in the United States. Women with full-term singleton pregnancies and no evidence of active labor were asked to wear the prototype technology for 30 minutes. We assessed functionality by evaluating the ability to successfully monitor the fetal heartbeat for 30 minutes, transmit this data to Cloud storage and view the data on a web portal. Three obstetricians also rated fetal cardiotocographs on ease of readability. We assessed acceptability by administering closed and open-ended questions on perceived utility and likeability to pregnant women and clinicians interacting with the prototype technology. Thirty-two women were enrolled, 28 of whom (87.5%) successfully completed 30 minutes of fetal monitoring including transmission of cardiotocographs to the web portal. Four sessions though completed, were not successfully uploaded to the Cloud storage. Six non-study clinicians interacted with the prototype technology. The primary technical problem observed was a delay in data transmission between the prototype and the web portal, which ranged from 2 to 209 minutes. Delays were ascribed to Wi-Fi connectivity problems. Recorded cardiotocographs received a mean score of 4.2/5 (± 1.0) on ease of readability with an interclass correlation of 0.81(95%CI 0.45, 0.96). Both pregnant women and clinicians found the prototype technology likable (81.3% and 66.7% respectively), useful (96.9% and 66.7% respectively), and would either use it again or recommend its use to another pregnant woman (77.4% and 66.7% respectively). In this pilot study we found that this wireless fetal monitoring prototype technology has potential for use in a United States inpatient setting but would benefit from some technology changes. We found it to be acceptable to both pregnant women and clinicians. Further research is needed to assess feasibility of using this technology in busy inpatient settings

Risks of adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes among women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in southwestern Uganda.

INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a leading cause of global perinatal (fetal and neonatal) and maternal morbidity and mortality. We sought to describe HDP and determine the magnitude and risk factors for adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes among women with HDP in southwestern Uganda. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled pregnant women admitted for delivery and diagnosed with HDP at a tertiary referral hospital in southwestern Uganda from January 2019 to November 2019, excluding women with pre-existing hypertension. The participants were observed and adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes were documented. We used multivariable logistic regression models to determine independent risk factors associated with adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 103 pregnant women with a new-onset HDP were enrolled. Almost all women, 93.2% (n = 96) had either pre-eclampsia with severe features or eclampsia. The majority, 58% (n = 60) of the participants had an adverse perinatal outcome (36.9% admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU), 20.3% stillbirths, and 1.1% neonatal deaths). Fewer participants, 19.4% (n = 20) had an adverse maternal outcome HELLP syndrome (7.8%), ICU admission (3%), and postpartum hemorrhage (3%). In adjusted analyses, gestational age of < 34 weeks at delivery and birth weight <2.5kg were independent risk factors for adverse perinatal outcomes while referral from another health facility and eclampsia were independent risk factors for adverse maternal outcomes. CONCLUSION: Among women with HDP at our institution, majority had preeclampsia with severe symptoms or eclampsia and an unacceptably high rate of adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes; over a fifth of the mothers experiencing stillbirth. This calls for improved antenatal surveillance of women with HDP and in particular improved neonatal and maternal critical care expertise at delivering facilities. Earlier detection and referral, as well as improvement in initial management at lower level health units and on arrival at the referral site is imperative

Incidence of Postpartum Infection, Outcomes and Associated Risk Factors at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda

Background: There is a paucity of recent prospective data on the incidence of postpartum infections and associated risk factors in sub-Saharan Africa. Retrospective studies estimate that puerperal sepsis causes approximately 10% of maternal deaths in Africa. Methods: We enrolled 4231 women presenting to a Ugandan regional referral hospital for delivery or postpartum care into a prospective cohort and measured vital signs postpartum. Women developing fever (\u3e 38.0 °C) or hypothermia (\u3c 36.0 °C) underwent symptom questionnaire, structured physical exam, malaria testing, blood, and urine cultures. Demographic, treatment, and post-discharge outcomes data were collected from febrile/hypothermic women and a random sample of 1708 normothermic women. The primary outcome was in-hospital postpartum infection. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors independently associated with postpartum fever/ hypothermia and with confirmed infection. Results: Overall, 4176/4231 (99%) had ≥1 temperature measured and 205/4231 (5%) were febrile or hypothermic. An additional 1708 normothermic women were randomly selected for additional data collection, for a total sample size of 1913 participants, 1730 (90%) of whom had complete data. The mean age was 25 years, 214 (12%) were HIV-infected, 874 (51%) delivered by cesarean and 662 (38%) were primigravidae. Among febrile/hypothermic participants, 174/205 (85%) underwent full clinical and microbiological evaluation for infection, and an additional 24 (12%) had a partial evaluation. Overall, 84/4231 (2%) of participants met criteria for one or more in-hospital postpartum infections. Endometritis was the most common, identified in 76/193 (39%) of women evaluated clinically. Twenty-five of 175 (14%) participants with urinalysis and urine culture results met criteria for urinary tract infection. Bloodstream infection was diagnosed in 5/185 (3%) participants with blood culture results. Another 5/186 (3%) tested positive for malaria. Cesarean delivery was independently associated with incident, in-hospital postpartum infection (aOR 3.9, 95% CI 1.5– 10.3, P = 0.006), while antenatal clinic attendance was associated with reduced odds (aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2–0.9, P = 0.02). There was no difference in in-hospital maternal deaths between the febrile/hypothermic (1, 0.5%) and normothermic groups (0, P = 0.11)

Clinical Presentation of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical presentation, symptomology, and disease course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pregnancy. METHODS: The PRIORITY (Pregnancy CoRonavIrus Outcomes RegIsTrY) study is an ongoing nationwide prospective cohort study of people in the United States who are pregnant or up to 6 weeks postpregnancy with known or suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We analyzed the clinical presentation and disease course of COVID-19 in participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection and reported symptoms at the time of testing. RESULTS: Of 991 participants enrolled from March 22, 2020, until July 10, 2020, 736 had symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing; 594 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection and 142 tested negative in this symptomatic group. Mean age was 31.3 years (SD 5.1), and 37% will nulliparous. Ninety-five percent were outpatients. Participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2-infection were a geographically diverse cohort: 34% from the Northeast, 25% from the West, 21% from the South, and 18% from the Midwest. Thirty-one percent of study participants were Latina, and 9% were Black. The average gestational age at enrollment was 24.1 weeks, and 13% of participants were enrolled after pregnancy. The most prevalent first symptoms in the cohort of patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection were cough (20%), sore throat (16%), body aches (12%), and fever (12%). Median time to symptom resolution was 37 days (95% CI 35-39). One quarter (25%) of participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection had persistent symptoms 8 or more weeks after symptom onset. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 has a prolonged and nonspecific disease course during pregnancy and in the 6 weeks after pregnancy. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04323839

Discharge instructions given to women following delivery by cesarean section in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review.

ObjectiveA scoping review of discharge instructions for women undergoing cesarean section (c-section) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).MethodStudies were identified from PubMed, Globus Index Medicus, NiPAD, EMBASE, and EBSCO databases. Eligible papers included research based in a SSA country, published in English or French, and containing information on discharge instructions addressing general postnatal care, wound care, planning of future births, or postpartum depression targeted for women delivering by c-section. For analysis, we used the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews followed by a narrative synthesis. We assessed quality of evidence using the GRADE system.ResultsWe identified 78 eligible studies; 5 papers directly studied discharge protocols and 73 included information on discharge instructions in the context of a different study objective. 37 studies addressed wound care, with recommendations to return to a health facility for dressing changes and wound checks between 3 days to 6 weeks. 16 studies recommended antibiotic use at discharge, with 5 specifying a particular antibiotic. 19 studies provided recommendations around contraception and family planning, with 6 highlighting intrauterine device placement immediately after birth or 6-weeks postpartum and 6 studies discussing the importance of counselling services. Only 5 studies provided recommendations for the evaluation and management of postpartum depression in c-section patients; these studies screened for depression at 4-8 weeks postpartum and highlighted connections between c-section delivery and the loss of self-esteem as well as connections between emergency c-section delivery and psychiatric morbidity.ConclusionFew studies in SSA directly examine discharge protocols and instructions for women following c-section. Those available demonstrate wide variation in recommendations. Research is needed to develop structured evidence-based instructions with clear timelines for women. These instructions should account for financial burden, access to resources, and education of patients and communities

Examples of cardiotocographs obtained with the prototype technology.

<p>Panels A and B show (from top to bottom) fetal heart rate, maternal heart rate, uterine tone and contractions. The fetal cardiotocograph in panel A received a mean score of 5 on readability. The fetal heart rate depicted is continuous with no breaks and loss of contact allowing easy interpretation of the baseline heart rate and to assess for increases and decreases in heart rate. Panel B shows a fetal cardiotocograph that received a mean score of 1.7. Here lack of a continuous heart rate tracing prevents interpretation of the fetal heart rate at all times. For example it is hard to distinguish if gaps in the tracing represent decreases, increases or no change in the baseline fetal heart rate.</p