The Influence of Diabetes on Labor Induction with Dinoprostone Vaginal Inserts.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare duration of labor induction between diabetic and nondiabetic women receiving dinoprostone vaginal insert (10 mg). STUDY DESIGN: This is a secondary analysis of two large randomized controlled trials using dinoprostone vaginal inserts for labor induction. We compare time to active labor, overall delivery, and vaginal delivery between diabetic and nondiabetic women undergoing induction of labor with a 10-mg dinoprostone vaginal insert. RESULTS: Diabetic women receiving dinoprostone vaginal insert had a longer time to onset of active labor, overall delivery, and vaginal delivery than their nondiabetic counterparts. There was no difference in abnormal labor affecting fetal heart rate pattern in diabetic women compared with nondiabetic women. The rates of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia were higher in diabetic women. CONCLUSION: Diabetes may represent an independent factor associated with prolonged induction among women undergoing induction of labor with dinoprostone. Dinoprostone is well tolerated in both diabetic and nondiabetic women. KEY POINTS: · Diabetic women receiving DVI have slower labor curves than nondiabetic women.. · Nulliparous diabetic women took longer to achieve active labor, overall delivery, and vaginal delivery than nondiabetic women.. · Parous diabetic women took longer to achieve vaginal delivery than nondiabetic women..

A double-blinded randomized controlled trial on the effects of increased intravenous hydration in nulliparas undergoing induction of labor.

BACKGROUND: Rates of labor induction are increasing, raising concerns related to increased healthcare utilization costs. High-dose intravenous fluid (250 cc/h) has been previously demonstrated to shorten the time to delivery in nulliparous individuals in spontaneous labor. Whether or not this relationship exists among individuals undergoing induction of labor is unknown. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of high-dose intravenous hydration on time to delivery among nulliparous individuals undergoing induction of labor. STUDY DESIGN: Nulliparous individuals presenting for induction of labor with a Bishop score of ≤6 (with and without rupture of membranes) were randomized to receive either 125 cc/h or 250 cc/h of normal saline. The primary outcome was length of labor (defined as time from initiation of study fluids to delivery). Both time to overall delivery and vaginal delivery were evaluated. Secondary outcomes included the lengths of each stage of labor, the percentage of individuals delivering within 24 hours, and maternal and neonatal outcomes, including cesarean delivery rate. RESULTS: A total of 180 individuals meeting inclusion criteria were enrolled and randomized. Baseline demographic characteristics were similar between groups; however, there was a higher incidence of diabetes mellitus in the group receiving 125 cc/h. Average length of labor was similar between groups (27.6 hours in 250 cc/h and 27.8 hours in 125 cc/h), as was the length of each stage of labor. Cox regression analysis did not demonstrate an effect of fluid rate on time to delivery. Neither the admission Bishop score, body mass index, nor other demographic characteristics affected time to delivery or vaginal delivery. There were no differences in maternal or neonatal outcomes, including overall cesarean delivery rate, clinically apparent iatrogenic intraamniotic infection, Apgar scores, need for neonatal phototherapy, or neonatal intensive care unit stay. CONCLUSION: There were no observed differences in the length of labor or maternal or neonatal outcomes with the administration of an increased rate of intravenous fluids among nulliparous individuals undergoing induction of labor.

Pregnancy Outcomes Associated With a Single Elevated Blood Pressure Before 20 Weeks of Gestation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate maternal and fetal outcomes among women with a single elevated blood pressure before 20 weeks of gestation. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women who delivered at Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2019. Participants were divided into two groups: normotensive (all systolic blood pressures lower than 130 mm Hg and diastolic pressures lower than 80 mm Hg) compared with single elevated blood pressure (single systolic pressure 130 mm Hg or higher, diastolic pressure 80 mm Hg or higher, or both). Women with chronic hypertension were excluded. Maternal comorbidities and maternal and neonatal outcomes were extracted from electronic health records using International Classification of Diseases codes. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) derived from logistic regression were used to describe the magnitude of association. RESULTS: Of 303,689 women who delivered during the study period, 23% had a single elevated blood pressure. Rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy differed between the two groups (10.6% for single elevated blood pressure, 4.5% for normotensive group; aOR 2.06, 95% CI 2.00-2.13), as did iatrogenic preterm delivery (3.7% vs 2.7%, respectively; aOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.21-1.33). DISCUSSION: Women with a single elevated blood pressure before 20 weeks of gestation are at increased risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and iatrogenic preterm delivery.

Multi-Institutional Practice-Patterns in Fetal Congenital Heart Disease Following Implementation of a Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plan.

Background Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease has been associated with early-term delivery and cesarean delivery (CD). We implemented a multi-institutional standardized clinical assessment and management plan (SCAMP) through the University of California Fetal-Maternal Consortium. Our objective was to decrease early-term (37-39 weeks) delivery and CD in pregnancies complicated by fetal congenital heart disease using a SCAMP methodology to improve practice in a high-risk and clinically complex setting. Methods and Results University of California Fetal-Maternal Consortium site-specific management decisions were queried following SCAMP implementation. This contemporary intervention group was compared with a University of California Fetal-Maternal Consortium historical cohort. Primary outcomes were early-term delivery and CD. A total of 496 maternal-fetal dyads with prenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease were identified, 185 and 311 in the historical and intervention cohorts, respectively. Recommendation for later delivery resulted in a later gestational age at delivery (38.9 versus 38.1 weeks, P=0.01). After adjusting for maternal age and site, historical controls were more likely to have a CD (odds ratio [OR],1.8; 95% CI, 2.1-2.8; P=0.004) and more likely (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.4-3.3) to have an early-term delivery than the intervention group. Vaginal delivery was recommended in 77% of the cohort, resulting in 61% vaginal deliveries versus 50% in the control cohort (P=0.03). Among pregnancies with major cardiac lesions (n=373), vaginal birth increased from 51% to 64% (P=0.008) and deliveries ≥39 weeks increased from 33% to 48% (P=0.004). Conclusions Implementation of a SCAMP decreased the rate of early-term deliveries and CD for prenatal congenital heart disease. Development of clinical pathways may help standardize care, decrease maternal risk secondary to CD, improve neonatal outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs.

Machine learning as a strategy to account for dietary synergy: an illustration based on dietary intake and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Conventional analytic approaches for studying diet patterns assume no dietary synergy, which can lead to bias if incorrectly modeled. Machine learning algorithms can overcome these limitations. OBJECTIVES: We estimated associations between fruit and vegetable intake relative to total energy intake and adverse pregnancy outcomes using targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) paired with the ensemble machine learning algorithm Super Learner, and compared these with results generated from multivariable logistic regression. METHODS: We used data from 7572 women in the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: monitoring mothers-to-be. Usual daily periconceptional intake of total fruits and total vegetables was estimated from an FFQ. We calculated the marginal risk of preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth, gestational diabetes, and pre-eclampsia according to density of fruits and vegetables (cups/1000 kcal) ≥80th percentile compared with <80th percentile using multivariable logistic regression and Super Learner with TMLE. Models were adjusted for confounders, including other Healthy Eating Index-2010 components. RESULTS: Using logistic regression, higher fruit and high vegetable densities were associated with 1.1% and 1.4% reductions in pre-eclampsia risk compared with lower densities, respectively. They were not associated with the 3 other outcomes. Using Super Learner with TMLE, high fruit and vegetable densities were associated with fewer cases of preterm birth (-4.0; 95% CI: -4.9, -3.0 and -3.7; 95% CI: -5.0, -2.3), SGA (-1.7; 95% CI: -2.9, -0.51 and -3.8; 95% CI: -5.0, -2.5), and pre-eclampsia (-3.2; 95% CI: -4.2, -2.2 and -4.0; 95% CI: -5.2, -2.7) per 100 births, respectively, and high vegetable densities were associated with a 0.9% increase in risk of gestational diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in results between Super Learner with TMLE and logistic regression suggest that dietary synergy, which is accounted for in machine learning, may play a role in pregnancy outcomes. This innovative methodology for analyzing dietary data has the potential to advance the study of diet patterns.

Association of a Delayed Cord-Clamping Protocol With Hyperbilirubinemia in Term Neonates.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the implementation of a delayed cord-clamping protocol at an academic medical center, and its short-term associations on term neonates. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of women aged 18 years or older delivering a term neonate at an academic medical center before and 5-7 months after implementation of a universal delayed cord-clamping protocol (October-December 2015 and October-December 2016, respectively). The primary outcome measure was the mean peak neonatal transcutaneous bilirubin level, with secondary outcome measures including mean initial transcutaneous bilirubin levels, mean serum bilirubin levels, number of serum bilirubin levels drawn, incidence of clinical jaundice, and phototherapy. RESULTS: Protocol adherence was 87.8%. Data are presented on 424 neonates. The mean peak neonatal transcutaneous bilirubin levels were significantly higher among neonates in the postprotocol group (10.0±3.4 mg/dL vs 8.4±2.7 mg/dL, P<.01). More neonates in the postprotocol group were diagnosed with jaundice (27.2% vs 16.6%; odds ratio [OR] 1.88; 95% CI 1.17-3.01) and required serum blood draws (43.7% vs 29.4%; OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.25-2.78). However, there were no differences in mean peak serum bilirubin levels between groups (9.7±3.0 mg/dL vs 9.1±3.1 mg/dL, P=.17) or need for phototherapy (5.2% vs 6.6%, OR 1.28; 95% CI 0.57-2.89). CONCLUSION: Implementation of a delayed cord-clamping protocol for term neonates was associated with significantly higher mean transcutaneous bilirubin levels, an increased number of serum blood draws, and more clinical diagnoses of jaundice, although there was no increase in the incidence of phototherapy.

Cost-Effectiveness of Immediate Compared With Delayed Postpartum Etonogestrel Implant Insertion.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of immediate compared with delayed (6 weeks) postpartum etonogestrel implant insertion in preventing future unintended pregnancy. METHODS: We constructed a decision-analytic model to examine a hypothetical population of women who request a contraceptive implant after giving birth. The timeframe for analysis was from the time of childbirth to 1 year postpartum. Model inputs were derived from a comprehensive literature review. We compared immediate (before discharge from the childbirth hospital stay) compared with delayed (at first postpartum office visit) postpartum placement of the contraceptive implant from a health care system's perspective. Implant insertion and removal, loss to follow-up at the postpartum visit, use of alternative contraceptive methods, and contraceptive failure were incorporated into the model. We calculated the incremental cost of immediate insertion for each pregnancy prevented during the first postpartum year and cost savings associated with pregnancies prevented. One-way sensitivity analyses were also performed. Cost estimates are reported in 2014 U.S. dollars. RESULTS: Immediate postpartum implant insertion is associated with higher expected cost than delayed insertion ($1,091/patient compared with $650/patient) but is more effective in preventing pregnancies (expected pregnancy rate: 2.4% and 21.6%, respectively). This results in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $2,304 per pregnancy prevented. When taking into consideration medical costs of the resulting unintended pregnancies that could be avoided, immediate implant insertion is expected to save $1,263 per patient. CONCLUSION: Immediate postpartum provision of the contraceptive implant is cost-effective in preventing unintended pregnancies and should be provided to women requesting this form of contraception.

Cardiovascular disease screening.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death amongst women worldwide. Cardiovascular risk assessment and primary prevention are important strategies to improve morbidity and mortality. In additional to the traditional risk factors, pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes increment future risk of developing cardiovascular complications. Additionally, several serum biomarkers are valuable measures for both risk assessment and predictors of clinical outcomes in women. The purpose of this review is to describe current risk stratification schemes as well as outline the role of obstetric history and serum biomarkers in adjusting risk stratification in women.

Child maltreatment and risk patterns among participants in a child abuse prevention program.

The relationship between risk factors and Child Protective Services (CPS) outcomes in families who participate in home visiting programs to prevent abuse and neglect and who are reported to CPS is largely unknown. We examined the relationship between parental risk factors and the substantiation status and number of CPS reports in families in a statewide prevention program. We reviewed CPS reports from 2006 to 2008 for families in Connecticut's child abuse prevention program. Six risk factors (histories of CPS, domestic violence [DV], mental health, sexual abuse, substance abuse, and criminal involvement) and the number of caregivers were abstracted to create risk scores for each family member. Maltreatment type, substantiation, and number of reports were recorded. Odds ratios were calculated. Of 1,125 families, 171 (15.6%) had at least one CPS report, and reports of 131 families were available for review. Families with a substantiated (25.2%) versus unsubstantiated (74.8%) first report had a high number of paternal risk factors (OR=6.13, 95% CI [1.89, 20.00]) and were more likely to have a history of maternal DV (OR=8.47, 95% CI [2.96, 24.39]), paternal DV (OR=11.23, 95% CI [3.33, 38.46]), and maternal criminal history (OR=4.55; 95% CI [1.32, 15.60]). Families with >1 report (34.4%) versus 1 report (65.6%) were more likely to have >3 caregivers, but this was not statistically significant (OR=2.53, 95% CI [0.98, 6.54]). In a prevention program for first-time families, DV, paternal risk, maternal criminal history, and an increased number of caregivers were associated with maltreatment outcomes. Targeting parental violence may impact child abuse prevention.