Amniotic Fluid Embolism

Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a rare complication of pregnancy often resulting in catastrophic maternal and fetal outcomes. Given the rarity of this condition, there is a wide variation in reported incidence of amniotic fluid embolism. The pathophysiology of AFE is not completely understood. It is thought to be the result of a breach of the maternal-fetal barrier resulting in an abnormal maternal proinflammatory response. AFE presents as a sudden onset of hypoxia, hypotension, and coagulopathy during labor and delivery or in the immediate postpartum period. Abnormalities in the fetal heart tracing are almost always present. Risk factors often include advanced maternal age, induction of labor, cesarean delivery, operative vaginal delivery, placenta previa, and placental abruption. The diagnosis of amniotic fluid embolism is made based on clinical presentation. There are no laboratory tests that confirm the diagnosis of AFE; however, serum tryptase levels, complement levels, zinc coproporphyrin, and serum sialyl Tn (STn) may support the diagnosis. Management of women with AES is supportive and most often requires admission to an intensive care unit. Although maternal morbidity and mortality remain high, advances in medical technology and improvements in obstetrical critical care and early diagnosis of AFE have improved outcomes

Soluble concentrations of the terminal complement complex C5b-9 correlate with end-organ injury in preeclampsia

Q3Q1Pacientes embarazadas hipertensasObjective: We sought to determine if soluble levels of C5b-9, the terminal complement complex, correlate with end-organ injury in preeclampsia. Study Design: Project COPA (Complement and Preeclampsia in the Americas), a multi-center observational study in Colombia from 2015 to 2016, enrolled hypertensive pregnant women into four groups: chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and preeclampsia with severe features. Trained coordinators collected clinical data, blood and urine. End-organ injury was defined by serum creatinine ≥ 1.0 mg/dl, aspartate transaminase ≥ 70U/L, platelet count < 150,000/µl, or lactate dehydrogenase ≥ 500 U/L. Data were analyzed by χ2 or Fisher’s exact test with significance at P < 0.05. Main Outcome Measure: C5b-9 concentrations in plasma and urine, using enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. Results: In total, 298 hypertensive participants were enrolled. Plasma and urine C5b-9 levels were measured in all participants and stratified by quartile (Q1-4), from lowest to highest C5b-9 concentration. Participants with low plasma C5b-9 levels (Q1) were more likely to have end-organ injury compared to those with higher levels (Q2-Q4) [platelet count < 150,000/μl (20.8% vs. 8.4%, P = 0.01); elevated serum creatinine ≥ 1.0 mg/dl (14.9% vs. 4.5%, P = 0.009)]. In contrast, participants with high urinary C5b-9 levels (Q4) were more likely to have end-organ injury compared to those with lower levels (Q1-Q3) [platelet count < 150,000/μl (19.7% vs. 7.4%, P = 0.003); elevated serum creatinine ≥ 1.0 mg/dl (12.3% vs. 4.4%, P = 0.025)]. Conclusion: We identified a pattern of increased urine and low plasma C5b-9 levels in patients with preeclampsia and end-organ injury. Soluble C5b-9 levels may be used to identify complement-mediated end-organ injury in preeclampsia.https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6822-0374Revista Internacional - IndexadaA1N

Respuesta y supervivencia libre de progresión en tumores vesicales en estadiosT2-T4 tratados con tratamiento trimodal de conservación vesical

Objective: Toevaluatetheresponseandthefree-survivalprogressioninpacientsdiagnosed of invasivebladdercancerwhohavebeentreatedwithtransurethralresection, chemotherapyandradiotherapy.Thismultimodaltreatmentiscomparedwithanot random serieofpatientstreatedbyradicalcistectomy. Material andmethods: Retrospectiveanalysisof43casesofinvasivebladdercancertreated with twoschemesofbladderpreservationbetween1994–2007.Theyarecomparedwith145 cases treatedwithradicalcistectomyinthesameperiodoftime. Pronosticvariablesincludedinthestudyareclinicalstage,gradeofdifferentiation, presence ofureteralobstruction,chemotherapymodality,radiotherapydosesandp53and ki-67 expression. Results: Meanandmediantimeare51and39monthsinpatientswithmultimodal treatment.Completeresponseisachievedin72%ofcasestreatedwithbladder preservation.Ureteralobstructionisaprognosticfactor(OR:7,3;p:0,02).72%patientswith complete responsemantainitattheendofthestudy.Noneofanalyzedvariablesare predictors ofmaintenanceoftheresponse. Survivalrateswithaintactbladderwere6977% and6177% atthreeandfiveyears. Radiotherapydosesgreaterthan60Gy(OR:6,1;po0,001) andtheabsenceofureteral obstruction (OR:7,5;po0,002) werepronosticvariables. Free-survivalinpatientswithcompleteresponsewas8077% and58710% atthreeand five years. At theendofthestudy,53,5%ofpatientshadaintactbladderandfree-disease. Inthesameperiodoftime,145radicalcistectomieswereperformedduetomuscleinvasive bladdercancer.Meanandmediantimeinthisgroupwere29and18monthsrespectively. Stadisticalanalysisrevealsaworseclinicalstageinthegroupofpatientstreatedwith multimodaltreatment(p:0.01). Free-survivalwas7275% and6377%at3and5yearsinthegroupofradical cistectomies.Therewasnotstadisticalsignificantdifferencesbetweencistectomiesand bladderpreservation. Conclusions: Patientstreatedwithbladderpreservationhaveafree-survivalsimilartothose tretedwithradicalcistectomy.Radiotherapy doses greaterthan60Gyandabsenceofureteral obstructionwerefree-survivalprognosticvariables

Reports from the NICHD Global Network’s Maternal and Newborn Health Registry: supplement introduction

No abstract was provided by the editors of this work

Evaluation of delivery options for second-stage events

Cesarean delivery in the second stage of labor is common, whereas the frequency of operative vaginal delivery has been declining. However, data comparing outcomes for attempted operative vaginal delivery in the second stage versus cesarean in the second stage are scant. Previous studies that examine operative vaginal delivery have compared it to a baseline risk of complications from a spontaneous vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery. However, when a woman has a need for intervention in the second stage, spontaneous vaginal delivery is not an option she or the provider can choose. Thus, the appropriate clinical comparison is cesarean versus operative vaginal delivery

Association of Recorded Estimated Fetal Weight and Cesarean Delivery in Attempted Vaginal Delivery at Term:

To evaluate the association between documentation of estimated fetal weight, and its value, with cesarean delivery

Prediction of Spontaneous Preterm Birth Among Nulliparous Women With a Short Cervix

To evaluate whether demographic and sonographic factors associated with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) among nulliparous women with a cervical length (CL) < 30 mm could be combined into an accurate prediction model for sPTB

Haptoglobin Phenotype, Preeclampsia Risk and the Efficacy of Vitamin C and E Supplementation to Prevent Preeclampsia in a Racially Diverse Population

Haptoglobin's (Hp) antioxidant and pro-angiogenic properties differ between the 1-1, 2-1, and 2-2 phenotypes. Hp phenotype affects cardiovascular disease risk and treatment response to antioxidant vitamins in some non-pregnant populations. We previously demonstrated that preeclampsia risk was doubled in white Hp 2-1 women, compared to Hp 1-1 women. Our objectives were to determine whether we could reproduce this finding in a larger cohort, and to determine whether Hp phenotype influences lack of efficacy of antioxidant vitamins in preventing preeclampsia and serious complications of pregnancy-associated hypertension (PAH). This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in which 10,154 low-risk women received daily vitamin C and E, or placebo, from 9-16 weeks gestation until delivery. Hp phenotype was determined in the study prediction cohort (n = 2,393) and a case-control cohort (703 cases, 1,406 controls). The primary outcome was severe PAH, or mild or severe PAH with elevated liver enzymes, elevated serum creatinine, thrombocytopenia, eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, medically indicated preterm birth or perinatal death. Preeclampsia was a secondary outcome. Odds ratios were estimated by logistic regression. Sampling weights were used to reduce bias from an overrepresentation of women with preeclampsia or the primary outcome. There was no relationship between Hp phenotype and the primary outcome or preeclampsia in Hispanic, white/other or black women. Vitamin supplementation did not reduce the risk of the primary outcome or preeclampsia in women of any phenotype. Supplementation increased preeclampsia risk (odds ratio 3.30; 95% confidence interval 1.61-6.82, p<0.01) in Hispanic Hp 2-2 women. Hp phenotype does not influence preeclampsia risk, or identify a subset of women who may benefit from vitamin C and E supplementation to prevent preeclampsia