Intrauterine management of fetal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) with cardiac failure

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Is ultrasound screening for vasa praevia clinically justified and a financially viable screening test? A literature review.

Vasa praevia is an obstetric complication currently not screened for within the United Kingdom, which if undetected prenatally can lead to fetal death when the membranes rupture. Internationally, guidelines are available providing guidance on the best screening policy and management pathways. However, the UK National Screening Committee and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists do not support screening due to a lack of evidence. Recent studies explore the ability of ultrasound to detect vasa praevia prenatally in both the general and high-risk populations. Whilst there is no consensus on the ‘best’ screening strategy, the majority of authors note that targeted screening of the high-risk population is the most achievable and cost-effective strategy. Although not infallible, a standard screening protocol could identify the majority of cases in the high-risk group. Introduction of a screening strategy would affect training needs of professionals within the UK and would have implications on the need to produce guidelines on management and quality assurance. Further research is also needed to define a relevant high-risk population and explore how this would impact on service provision. This review explores the current evidence base for systematic screening and the implications for service.N/

Influence of training in the use and generation of evidence on episiotomy practice and perineal trauma

ObjectiveTo examine episiotomy practices before and after a multi-component intervention designed to support the use and generation of research evidence in maternal and neonatal health care.MethodsSet in 9 centers across 4 Southeast Asian countries, a retrospective survey was performed for 12 recommended pregnancy/childbirth practices and 13 outcomes of women in each center before and after intervention. Qualitative interviews were conducted to assess staff awareness and experience in evidence-based practice.ResultsThere were significant decreases in the rate of episiotomy, from 64.1% to 60.1% (risk difference [RD] -4.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], -5.8 to -2.2) for all women and from 92.2% to 80.7% (RD -11.5; 95% CI, -13.4 to -9.6) for nulliparous women. Severe trauma decreased from 3.9% to 1.9% (RD -2.0; 95% CI, -2.7 to -1.4) for all women and from 6.7% to 3.0% (RD -3.7; 95% CI, -4.9 to -2.5) for nulliparous women. The frequency of intact perineum increased from 12.4% to 15.6% (RD 3.2; 95% CI, 1.9-4.6) for all women and from 1.7% to 8.0% (RD 6.3; 95% CI, 5.0-7.5) for nulliparous women.ConclusionAn intervention based on understanding and using the best available evidence can result in significant improvements in care and health outcomes.Jacqueline J. Ho, Porjai Pattanittum, Robert P. Japaraj, Tari Turner, Ussanee Swadpanich, Caroline A. Crowther, for the SEA-ORCHID Study Grou

Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of placenta accreta--impact on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

PURPOSE: To compare maternal and neonatal outcomes of prenatally diagnosed versus undiagnosed cases of placenta accreta. METHODS: This retrospective study included all pathology-proven placentas accreta/increta/percreta from a single tertiary center from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2012. Outcomes were compared between prenatally diagnosed and undiagnosed cases. RESULTS: Thirty-six cases of abnormal implantations were identified, of which 19 (53%) were prenatally diagnosed by ultrasound. Prenatal detection was more likely with a percreta (7/19 versus 2/17, p = .07), parity (18/19 versus 9/17, p = .01), prior cesarean (17/19 versus 4/17, p = .0001), shorter cesarean-conception interval (22.8 ± 21.4 versus 108 ± 7.6 months, p = .01), and spontaneous conception (19/19 versus 12/17, p = .03). Cases diagnosed prenatally more frequently received steroids for fetal maturity (13/20 versus 3/19, p = .003), delivered by cesarean (19/19 versus 11/17, p = .01) under general anesthesia (14/19 versus 4/17, p = .002) with a cell saver (5/19 versus 0/17, p = .06). There were no statistically significant differences by group in maternal blood loss, transfusion, intensive care admission or length of stay, operative injury, or severe composite morbidity (reoperation, coagulopathy, thromboembolism, wound infection, multiorgan failure, transfusion reaction, fistula, or chest compressions). There were no statistically significant differences in 5-minute Apgar CONCLUSION: Prenatally undiagnosed accretas are less complex than prenatally diagnosed cases, but associated with statistically similar outcomes, suggesting benefit to prenatal recognition