Perinatal grief following neonatal comfort care for lethal fetal condition

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to assess perinatal grief experienced after continuing pregnancy and comfort care in women diagnosed with lethal fetal condition compared with termination of pregnancy for fetal anomaly (TOPFA). METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study which included women who chose to continue their pregnancy after the diagnosis of lethal fetal condition with comfort care support at birth at the Prenatal Diagnosis Center of Rennes Hospital from January 2007 to January 2017. Women were matched with controls who underwent TOPFA for the same type of fetal anomaly, gestational age at diagnosis and year. Women were evaluated by a questionnaire including the Perinatal Grief Scale. RESULTS: There were 28 patients in the continuing pregnancy group matched with 56 patients in the TOPFA group. Interval between fetal loss and completion of questionnaire was 6±3 years. Perinatal grief score was similar at 61±22 vs 58±18 (p = 0.729) in the continuing pregnancy and TOPFA groups, respectively. Women in the TOPFA group expressed more guilt. The cesarean-section rate in the continuing pregnancy group was 25% . CONCLUSION: Perinatal grief experienced by women opting for continuing pregnancy and comfort care after diagnosis of a potentially lethal fetal anomaly is not more severe than for those choosing TOPFA

Tabagisme pendant la grossesse : impact sur l’enfant, de la naissance à l’âge adulte — Rapport d’experts et recommandations CNGOF-SFT sur la prise en charge du tabagisme en cours de grossesse

National audienceIntroduction - Smoking during pregnancy leads to fetal passive smoking. It is associated with several obstetrical complications and is a major modifiable factor of maternal and fetal morbidity. Long-term consequences also exist but are less well known to health professionals and in the general population. Methods - Consultation of the Medline® database. Results - Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated in the offspring with sudden infant death syndrome (NP2), impaired lung function (NP2), lower respiratory infections and asthma (NP2), overweight and obesity (NP2), cancers (NP3), risk of tobacco use, nicotine dependence and early smoking initiation (NP2). Unadjusted analyses show associations between in utero tobacco exposure and cognitive deficits (NP3), impaired school performance (NP3) and behavioral disorders in children (NP2), which are in a large part explained by environmental factors. There is a cross-generational effect of smoking during pregnancy. For example, an increased risk of asthma is observed in the grandchildren of smoking women (NP4). The respective roles of ante- and post-natal smoking remain difficult to assess. Conclusion - These results highlight the importance of prevention measures against tobacco use in the general population, as well as screening measures and support for smoking cessation before or at the beginning of the pregnancy

Feasibility and reliability of four pain self-assessment scales and correlation with an observational rating scale in hospitalized elderly demented patients

BACKGROUND: Acute and chronic pain is common in hospitalized demented elderly people, yet there are limited data about the performance of pain assessment tools in this population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of four pain self-assessment scales in this population and compare their performance to an observational pain rating scale. METHODS: Our prospective clinical study was conducted in an acute-care and intermediate-care geriatric hospital on 160 consecutive inpatient referrals to the dementia consultation who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria for dementia. Exclusion criteria were delirium, terminal care, and severe sensory impairment. Four unidimensional self-assessment tools--the verbal, horizontal visual, vertical visual, and faces pain scales--were administered in randomized order to mild, moderate, and severely demented patients. An observational pain rating scale was independently completed by the nursing team. RESULTS: Only 12% of the 160 patients (mean age 85 years, 71% women) understood no scale. Respectively, 97%, 90%, and 40% of patients with mild, moderate, and severe dementia understood at least one scale (p <.05). There was a nonsignificant trend toward poorer comprehension of the faces scale. Test-retest reliability was high for all four self-assessment scales, and the correlation between these scales was very strong (Spearman's r(s) = 0.81-0.95; p <.001). Observational rating correlated moderately with self-assessment and tended to underestimate pain intensity (r(s) = 0.31-0.40; p <.05). CONCLUSIONS: Self-assessment pain scales can be used reliably in the vast majority of older hospitalized patients with mild to moderate dementia and in nearly half of those with severe dementia. Observational pain rating scales correlate only moderately with self-assessment and should be reserved for those few patients who have demonstrated that they cannot complete a self-assessment

Serial hCG and progesterone levels to predict early pregnancy outcomes in pregnancies of uncertain viability: A prospective study

International audienceObjective - To assess the value of serial hCG and progesterone serum level in the diagnosis of early pregnancy viability.Methods - It was a prospective cohort study. Women with a pregnancy of uncertain viability (PUV), defined as the presence of an intra-uterine embryo with a crown-rump length Results - The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of an hCG H48/H0 ratio increase 75% to diagnose a viable pregnancy were 100%, 31%, 45.9% and 100%, respectively. hCG H48/H0 ratio increase 75% was associated with 100% of viable pregnancies in 100% of the cases.Conclusion - Serial hCG levels alone permitted an early viability diagnosis within 48h for 41.1% of patients with PUV instead of 7 to 14days with TVS.<br

Improving the quality of transvaginal ultrasound scan by simulation training for general practice residents

Abstract Background Ultrasonography (US) is an essential tool for the diagnosis of acute gynecological conditions. General practice (GP) residents are involved in the first-line management of gynecologic emergencies. They are not familiar with US equipment. Initial training on simulators was conducted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of simulation-based training on the quality of the sonographic images achieved by GP residents 2 months after the simulation training versus clinical training alone. Methods Young GP residents assigned to emergency gynecology departments were invited to a one-day simulation-based US training session. A prospective controlled trial aiming to assess the impact of such training on TVS (transvaginal ultrasound scan) image quality was conducted. The first group included GP residents who attended the simulation training course. The second group included GP residents who did not attend the course. Written consent to participate was obtained from all participants. Images achieved 2 months after the training were scored using standardized quality criteria and compared in both groups. The stress generated by this examination was also assessed with a simple numeric scale. Results A total of 137 residents attended the simulation training, 26 consented to participate in the controlled trial. Sonographic image quality was significantly better in the simulation group for the sagittal view of the uterus (3.6 vs 2.7, p = 0.01), for the longitudinal view of the right ovary (2.8 vs 1.4, p = 0.027), and for the Morrison space (1.7 vs 0.4, p = 0.034), but the difference was not significant for the left ovary (2.9 vs 1.7, p = 0.189). The stress generated by TVS after 2 months was not different between the groups (6.0 vs 4.8, p = 0.4). Conclusion Simulation-based training improved the quality of pelvic US images in GP residents assessed after 2 months of experience in gynecology compared to clinical training alone

Effectiveness of conservative medical treatment for non-tubal ectopic pregnancies a multicenter study

International audienceObjective To assess the effectiveness of conservative treatment for the management of non-tubal ectopic pregnancies (NTEP) Methods Retrospective cohort study in three centers (two referral centers) of patients managed for NTEP diagnosed by 2D or 3D ultrasonograhy. Patients underwent one of the following expectant management, systemic methotrexate (MTX) injection, local MTX injection, combined MTX injection (local and systemic), local injection of hyperosmolar glucose, or misoprostol administration. The primary endpoint was final success defined by resolution of hCG level without need for emergency surgical treatment. Sixty-four patients diagnosed with NTEP were included 37 (57%) had an interstitial pregnancy, 23 (35.9%) a cesarean scar pregnancy, two (3.1%) a cervical pregnancy and two (3.1%) an ovarian pregnancy. Results Six patients (9.4%) underwent expectant management, 24 (37.5%) a systemic MTX injection, 28 (43.8%) a local injection of MTX, three (4.7%) a combined MTX injection, one (1.6%) a local injection of hyperosmolar glucose (1.6%), and two (3.1%) were administered misoprostol. The median age was 32 years (22-45) and mean follow-up was 41 months. The final success rate overall was 92.2% 100% for expectant management, 87.5% for systemic MTX, 96.4% for local MTX, 100% for combined injection of MTX, 100% for local injection of hyperosmolar glucose, and 50% for misoprostol. No patient required a hysterectomy. Nine (14.1%) patients required surgery, including five (7.8% (5/64)) following a rupture of the NTEP. Conclusions Our results suggest that conservative medical management of NTEP is effective and safe and should be the first-line treatment for pauci-symptomatic patients with an NTEP