Pictures as mementos after perinatal death: a case study.

BACKGROUND: The grieving process following perinatal loss caused by life-limiting conditions presents some particularities associated with the family's culture and the symbolic relationship with the deceased. OBJECTIVE: To reflect on the symbolic meaning attributed to mementos, particularly pictures taken immediately after birth. METHOD: Case study-a qualitative analysis of the data collected through semidirected interviews. RESULTS: Of the three women that took part in the study, one woman chose not to take a picture but opted to take home the hat with her son's name on it that was provided as a regular procedure for every birth at the maternity centre. During the interview, she questioned her decision. The two other women took pictures and still look at them affectionate. One of the women keeps the picture of her child in a shrine at home, thus attributing a symbolic religious meaning to the whole experience that alleviates her pain. CONCLUSION: The symbolic meaning attributed to pictures of the deceased can help parents process grief.

Family Conferences in Prenatal Palliative Care.

Background: Fetal malformations are diagnosed prenatally in nearly 3% of pregnancies, and ∼1.2% are major malformations. After prenatal diagnosis, it is imperative to consider families' values and to support their decision-making process. Prenatal palliative care is a growing field mainly based on family conferences. The prenatal care setting is unique and differs from postnatal and adult care. There are no descriptions of family conferences in prenatal palliative care. The descriptions of themes that emerge from the prenatal care conference charts may guide professionals in this delicate task, and help determine the causes of suffering and identify family values before the birth of the infant. Aim: To perform a content analysis of medical records of family conferences and to describe the main themes observed during prenatal palliative care follow-up after the diagnosis of a life-limiting fetal condition. Design: This is a retrospective study of medical records of family conferences from a perinatal palliative care group, the GAI group, between May 2015 and September 2016. Setting/Participants: Families with estimated perinatal mortality >50% and eligibility for follow-up at our tertiary fetal medicine center were enrolled. We included women who participated in at least one family conference with the GAI group and who had given birth at the clinic or delivered at another center and returned for the postnatal family conference. Results: Fifty women met the inclusion criteria. Five main themes and 18 categories emerged from the charts and are described in detail. A model of follow-up in prenatal palliative care is proposed based on the themes and categories identified. Conclusions: This analysis may guide health professionals who seek to better identify family needs and values and organize follow-up during prenatal palliative care.

Breaking Bad News: A Study on Formal Training in a High-Risk Obstetrics Setting.

Background: Breaking bad news is a frequent task in high-risk obstetrics clinics. Few studies have examined the role of training in improving such a difficult medical task. Aim: To evaluate the influence of a training program on the participants' perceptions of bad news communication at a high-risk obstetrics center. Design: This prospective study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, Hospital das Clinicas, from March 2016 to May 2017. Setting/Participants: Maternal-fetal health specialists were invited to complete an institutional questionnaire based on the SPIKES protocol for communicating bad news before and after training. The training consisted of theoretical lectures and small group practice using role play. The questionnaire responses were compared using nonparametric tests to evaluate the differences in physicians' perceptions at the two timepoints. The questionnaire items were evaluated individually and in groups following the communication steps of the SPIKES protocol. Results: In total, 110 physicians were invited to participate. Ninety completed the pretraining questionnaire and 40 answered the post-training questionnaire. After training, there were significant improvements in knowing how to prepare the environment before delivering bad news (p = 0.010), feeling able to transmit bad news (p < 0.001), and to discuss the prognosis (p = 0.026), feeling capable of discussing ending the pregnancy (p = 0.003), and end-of-life issues (p = 0.007) and feeling confident about answering difficult questions (p = 0.004). The comparison of the grouped responses following the steps of the SPIKES protocol showed significant differences for "knowledge" (p < 0.001), "emotions," (p = 0.004) and "strategy and summary" (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The implementation of institutional training in breaking bad news changed the perception of the physicians in the communication setting.

When One Knows a Fetus Is Expected to Die: Palliative Care in the Context of Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Malformations.

BACKGROUND: Fetal malformations occur in 2% of gestations and are the fifth most common cause of neonatal death in the world. In many cases, fetal malformations result in neonatal death or long stay in intensive care facilities. Families that continue the pregnancy in such a situation need to make choices and cope with an overwhelming number of potential issues. Palliative care starting at the prenatal period is a growing field that allows the entire family to prepare for this difficult situation. OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review of published data on palliative care in the prenatal period. DESIGN: PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched using the keywords ("perinatal" OR "prenatal" OR "fetal") AND "palliative care" and also ("perinatal" OR "prenatal" OR "fetal") AND "hospice." SETTING/SUBJECTS: Studies focusing on the long-term impact of prenatal palliative care published up to December 2015 were used. MEASUREMENTS: Quantitative and qualitative studies. RESULTS: In total, 541 studies were retrieved; 29 articles met the inclusion criteria. Studies were organized into different categories according to the design or main focus. The majority of studies retrieved were reflexives or presented a narrative proposal on palliative care started in the prenatal period (45%). Clinical studies comprised 17% of all articles found. No studies were found on the long-term impact of prenatal palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal palliative care is a growing field and an important supportive care measure that can help grieving parents and families who do not want to or cannot interrupt their pregnancy. More studies should be carried out, specifically concerning long-term impact of prenatal palliative care. Guidelines and training of health professionals must be developed so that more families can benefit from this type of care.

Intraosseous anomalous drainage: a rare case of pretibial varicose vein / Drenagem anômala intraóssea: um caso raro de varizes pré-tibiais

ABSTRACT Valve failure with reflux and post-thrombotic syndrome are the factors most commonly correlated with varicose disease. Other rare etiologies can be put forward when these two main causes are ruled out. We report a case in which a young man presented chronic pain in the left tibia, varicose veins in the lower limbs and frequent occurrences of erysipelas. During investigation of the etiology of the varicose veins, radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging of the left leg were requested. These showed images suggestive of an osteolytic lesion in the tibia, but led us to the diagnosis of an intraosseous vein with anomalous drainage. This was confirmed through vascular examinations comprising Doppler venous flow measurement and phlebography. Recognition of this rare intraosseous anomaly is fundamental for proper patient management, but an intraosseous surgical approach is unnecessary.

RESUMO Incompetência valvar com refluxo e síndrome pós-trombótica são os fatores mais comumente relacionados à doença varicosa. Outras raras etiologias podem ser levantadas quando essas duas principais causas são descartadas. Relatamos o caso de um homem jovem com dor crônica na tíbia esquerda, varizes em membros inferiores e erisipela de repetição. Durante investigação da etiologia das varizes foram solicitadas radiografias e ressonância da perna esquerda, que evidenciaram imagens sugestivas de uma lesão osteolítica na tíbia, mas que nos levaram ao diagnóstico de veia intraóssea com drenagem anômala, confirmado pelos exames vasculares de dopplerfluxometria venosa e flebografia. O reconhecimento dessa rara anomalia intraóssea é fundamental para o manejo adequado do paciente, não necessita de abordagem cirúrgica intraóssea.

Intraosseous anomalous drainage: a rare case of pretibial varicose vein.

Valve failure with reflux and post-thrombotic syndrome are the factors most commonly correlated with varicose disease. Other rare etiologies can be put forward when these two main causes are ruled out. We report a case in which a young man presented chronic pain in the left tibia, varicose veins in the lower limbs and frequent occurrences of erysipelas. During investigation of the etiology of the varicose veins, radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging of the left leg were requested. These showed images suggestive of an osteolytic lesion in the tibia, but led us to the diagnosis of an intraosseous vein with anomalous drainage. This was confirmed through vascular examinations comprising Doppler venous flow measurement and phlebography. Recognition of this rare intraosseous anomaly is fundamental for proper patient management, but an intraosseous surgical approach is unnecessary.

Incompetência valvar com refluxo e síndrome pós-trombótica são os fatores mais comumente relacionados à doença varicosa. Outras raras etiologias podem ser levantadas quando essas duas principais causas são descartadas. Relatamos o caso de um homem jovem com dor crônica na tíbia esquerda, varizes em membros inferiores e erisipela de repetição. Durante investigação da etiologia das varizes foram solicitadas radiografias e ressonância da perna esquerda, que evidenciaram imagens sugestivas de uma lesão osteolítica na tíbia, mas que nos levaram ao diagnóstico de veia intraóssea com drenagem anômala, confirmado pelos exames vasculares de dopplerfluxometria venosa e flebografia. O reconhecimento dessa rara anomalia intraóssea é fundamental para o manejo adequado do paciente, não necessita de abordagem cirúrgica intraóssea.