Clinical Study Effects of a New Patient Safety-Driven Oxytocin Dosing Protocol on Postpartum Hemorrhage

Objective. To determine if there was an increase in postpartum (PP) hemorrhage after decreasing the PP oxytocin dose from 40 to 30 units. Study Design. Retrospective cohort study comparing 8 months before to 8 months after the change. PP day 1 hemoglobin was subtracted from admission hemoglobin. Mean change was compared by Student's t-test. The best fit polynomial was analyzed for trends between the two time frames. Women who received blood transfusions were excluded. Results. 73/3564 (2.0%) women received blood transfusions in the pre group and 64/3295 (1.9%) women in the post group, = 0.8. Mean hemoglobin change ± standard deviation was 1.53 ± 0.03 g/dL for pre versus 1.52 ± 0.05 g/dL for post, = 0.68. 1003/3114 (32.2%) in the pre group had a hemoglobin decrease of ≥2 g/dL compared to 918/2895 (31.7%) in the post group, = 0.7. 261/3114 (8.4%) in the pre group had a hemoglobin decrease of ≥3 g/dL compared to 252/2895 (8.7%), = 0.7. There were no significant trends between the two time frames. Conclusion. The change in the dose of PP oxytocin did not result in an increase in postpartum hemorrhage or an increase in the need for blood transfusion

Effects of a New Patient Safety-Driven Oxytocin Dosing Protocol on Postpartum Hemorrhage

Objective. To determine if there was an increase in postpartum (PP) hemorrhage after decreasing the PP oxytocin dose from 40 to 30 units. Study Design. Retrospective cohort study comparing 8 months before to 8 months after the change. PP day 1 hemoglobin was subtracted from admission hemoglobin. Mean change was compared by Student’s t-test. The best fit polynomial was analyzed for trends between the two time frames. Women who received blood transfusions were excluded. Results. 73/3564 (2.0%) women received blood transfusions in the pre group and 64/3295 (1.9%) women in the post group, P=0.8. Mean hemoglobin change ± standard deviation was 1.53±0.03 g/dL for pre versus 1.52±0.05 g/dL for post, P=0.68. 1003/3114 (32.2%) in the pre group had a hemoglobin decrease of ≥2 g/dL compared to 918/2895 (31.7%) in the post group, P=0.7. 261/3114 (8.4%) in the pre group had a hemoglobin decrease of ≥3 g/dL compared to 252/2895 (8.7%), P=0.7. There were no significant trends between the two time frames. Conclusion. The change in the dose of PP oxytocin did not result in an increase in postpartum hemorrhage or an increase in the need for blood transfusion

Fetal profile in fetuses with open spina bifida

Objective!#!To determine whether the frontomaxillary facial (FMF) angle and the prefrontal space ratio (PFSR) are helpful in screening for open spinal defects by ultrasound in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.!##!Methods!#!The FMF angle and the PFSR were measured in fetuses with spina bifida according to standardized protocols. The normal range of the PFSR was previously published by our group. To determine the normal values for the FMF angle in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, we used the same stored images from the above-mentioned study.!##!Results!#!71 affected and 279 normal fetuses were included in this study. Median gestational ages in the two groups were 21.1 weeks and 21.6 weeks, respectively. In fetuses with spina bifida, the FMF angle was significantly smaller than in the normal population (72.9° versus 79.6°). However, the measurement was below the fifth centile in only 22.5% of the affected fetuses. The PFSR was similar in both groups.!##!Conclusions!#!The FMF angle is smaller in second and third trimester fetuses with open spina bifida. However, the difference is not large enough to implement this marker in current screening programs