Reducing the postpartum length of stay: Implications for emergency department presentations at a tertiary women's hospital.

AIMS: Postpartum length of stay (LOS) in Australian hospitals has reduced over the past three decades. Although a reduction in LOS likely reduces hospital costs in the immediate postpartum period, there is concern that this is increasing the burden on emergency services, domiciliary staff and primary care providers. The aims were to determine whether the recent reduction in LOS at an Australian tertiary obstetric hospital resulted in a change in emergency department (ED) presentations by women in the first six weeks postpartum, and newborns within the first 28 days of life. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional cohort study of all newborns ≤28 days of age and women ≤6 weeks postpartum who presented to the ED during four comparable time periods (2019-2022) at an Australian tertiary obstetric hospital. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between neonatal and maternal postpartum ED presentations and year of birth. RESULTS: Reduced postpartum LOS was associated with a significant increase in maternal and neonatal presentations to the ED (odds ratio (OR): 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08-1.23), and OR: 1.11 (95% CI: 1.03-1.19), respectively). For every 100 births, an extra six women and three neonates presented to the ED for postpartum care in 2022 compared with 2019. There was no difference in maternal or neonatal admissions throughout the study periods. CONCLUSION: The increase in maternal and neonatal ED presentations associated with reduced LOS should prompt reassessment of postnatal practice and encourage further research into allocation of in-hospital resources and postpartum education.

Metformin in pregnancy and childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the impact of maternal metformin use during pregnancy on offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science (Core Collection) were searched from inception until July 1, 2023. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies of women who received treatment with metformin at any stage of pregnancy for any indication with neurodevelopmental data available for their offspring were included. Studies without a control group were excluded. Randomized controlled trials, case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies were included in the review. METHODS: Studies were screened for inclusion and data were extracted independently by 2 reviewers. Risk of bias was assessed using a modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for nonrandomized studies, and the Risk of Bias 2 tool for randomized trials. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies met the inclusion criteria, including a combined cohort of 14,042 children with 7641 children who were exposed and followed for up to 14 years of age. Metformin use during pregnancy was not associated with neurodevelopmental delay in infancy (relative risk, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-2.17; 3 studies; 9668 children) or at ages 3 to 5 years (relative risk, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.56-1.45; 2 studies; 6118 children). When compared with unexposed peers, metformin use during pregnancy was not associated with altered motor scores (mean difference, 0.30; 95% confidence interval, -1.15 to 1.74; 3 studies; 714 children) or cognitive scores (mean difference, -0.45; 95% confidence interval, -1.45 to 0.55; 4 studies; 734 children). Studies that were included were of high quality and deemed to be at low risk of bias. CONCLUSION: In utero exposure to metformin does not seem to be associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children up to the age of 14 years. These findings provide reassurance to clinicians and pregnant women considering metformin use during pregnancy.

When pain is not the whole story: Presenting symptoms of women with endometriosis.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis affects one in nine Australian women of reproductive age, and is often associated with pain and infertility. However, many women may be asymptomatic, or present with alternative symptoms. AIM: To identify reasons for initial specialist referral among patients with endometriosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were identified as having endometriosis intraoperatively based on International Classification of Diseases coding. Operation reports were reviewed and graded for severity of disease. This cohort was then retrospectively audited to identify reasons for initial referral to the general gynaecology, endosurgery, gynae-oncology, reproductive medicine outpatient departments (OPD) at the Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne between 1 February 2015 and 31 December 2016. RESULTS: Three hundred patients were identified as having endometriosis at laparoscopy, including 90 women with Stage IV disease. Patients were a mean (SD) age of 33.1 (7.6) years. While pain remained a common reason for referral (61.7% of referrals), 36.7% of women with Grade IV disease did not have pain included in their referral letter. Severe disease was associated with increased age (regression coefficient 0.05; 95% CI: 0.03-0.07, P < 0.01), but not with pain symptoms. Women referred with ovarian cysts or masses were more likely to be diagnosed with severe disease (regression coefficient 0.69; 95% CI: 0.37-1.01, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Although pelvic pain is not a good predictor for a diagnosis of endometriosis, it remains a common symptom among women with the disease. However, more than one in three patients with Grade IV endometriosis presented without mention of pain symptoms, encouraging clinicians to adopt a broader approach to the presenting symptoms of endometriosis.

Introduction of the MyoSureLITE in an established outpatient hysteroscopy clinic.

BACKGROUND: Endometrial polyps are a common cause of abnormal uterine bleeding. The MyoSureLITE intrauterine morcellation device is effective at resecting endometrial polyps; however, its use in the outpatient setting requires appraisal. AIM: To assess the feasibility, utility, acceptability and costs associated with introduction of the MyoSureLITE into an established outpatient hysteroscopy (OPH) clinic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective clinical database from a tertiary Melbourne hospital was analysed from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2018. Three 12-month time periods were compared: pre-introduction and trial phase, early use, and established use of the MyoSureLITE. Wait times, patient acceptability, second OPH bookings and procedure costs were measured. RESULTS: Eight hundred and seventy-one women underwent OPH during the study period, with 238 (27.3%) women presenting with endometrial polyp(s). At each timepoint, 78.5, 25 and 6.3% of women required rebooking for a subsequent hysteroscopy for pathology otherwise suitable for MyoSureLITE resection. Introduction of the MyoSureLITE avoided a subsequent procedure for 4, 60 and 69 women respectively for each year of use, with potentially reduced treatment costs for the institution. Median (IQR) wait time for definitive treatment of intrauterine pathology was 56 (24-84) days at time-period 1, decreasing to 0 (0-0) days during time-period 3, (P < 0.001); 87.6% would undergo OPH again. CONCLUSIONS: Routine use of the MyoSureLITE is effective, feasible, and acceptable to women. Provision of this device in outpatient service allows a 'see-and-treat' model, saving theatre time and treatment costs, facilitating a more direct throughput from presentation to treatment.

The Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Harm in the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on research on prevalence and correlates of self-harm in pregnancy and the postpartum year ("perinatal self-harm"). DATA SOURCES: Six databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Maternity and Infant Care Database, CINAHL, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials) were searched from inception through October 31, 2018. STUDY SELECTION: Inclusion criteria were (1) peer-reviewed articles with (2) data available for estimating prevalence and correlates. Exclusion criteria were (1) studies of women seeking abortion and (2) letters, editorials, or case reports/series. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently screened all articles, extracted data, and appraised quality. RESULTS: Of 3,913 articles screened, 39 (reporting 19,191,431 pregnancies) were included. Prevalence ranges were as follows: self-harm during pregnancy (14 studies): 0%-2.39% (median = 0.0004%; interquartile range [IQR], 0.0002%-0.18%); self-harm during postpartum year (10 studies): 0%-2.41% (median = 0.17%; IQR, 0.04%-1.05%); self-harm during pregnancy in women with serious mental illness (SMI) (6 studies): 0%-23.78% (median = 2.16%; IQR, 0.26%-7.9%); self-harm during postpartum year in women with SMI (7 studies): 0%-21.9% (median = 7.97%; IQR, 0%-18%). Key correlates of self-harm during pregnancy and the postpartum year include mental disorder, substance misuse, younger age, being unmarried, and obstetric and neonatal complications. Additionally, a history of self-harm and fetal/infant loss were associated with postpartum self-harm. There were limited data on correlates of perinatal self-harm in women with SMI. CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal self-harm appears to be rare but is associated with adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. However, it is common in women with SMI, though there is limited evidence regarding correlates and outcomes in this population. More research into the prevalence, correlates, and outcomes of perinatal self-harm, particularly in women with SMI, is needed.