Complications of lymphangioleiomyomatosis in pregnancy: a case report and review of the literature.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a rare cystic lung disease primarily affecting premenopausal females and may be exacerbated by pregnancy. We conducted a literature review of lymphangioleiomyomatosis during pregnancy with a specific focus on related maternal morbidity and obstetrical outcomes. We also report a case of lymphangioleiomyomatosis that presented as an acute spontaneous pneumothorax in the third trimester of pregnancy, followed by significant maternal morbidity. A 37-year-old primigravid woman who presented at 29 weeks 5 days gestation with chest pain was diagnosed with spontaneous pneumothorax. Further imaging demonstrated cystic lung lesions and renal angiomyolipomas. She developed severe abdominal pain concerning for placental abruption that led to an urgent cesarean delivery at 30 weeks 2 days gestation. Her course was complicated by recurrent pneumothorax, superimposed preeclampsia, and significant ileus and bowel dilation complicated by bowel perforation. For patients with a clinical suspicion of lymphangioleiomyomatosis in pregnancy, prompt recognition, diagnosis, and referral to appropriate multidisciplinary subspecialists is critical to mitigate complications and optimize outcomes both during and after pregnancy.

Maternal and Neonatal Morbidities by Race in College-Educated Women.

Objective Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women experience significantly higher adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes compared with non-Hispanic white women. The purpose of this study is to explore whether disparities in obstetric outcomes exist by race among women who are college-educated. Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study from a multicenter observational cohort of women undergoing cesarean delivery. Women were defined as "college-educated" if they reported completion of a 4-year college degree. Race/ethnicity was categorized as non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, or unknown. The primary outcome was a composite of maternal morbidity, and a composite of neonatal morbidity was evaluated as a secondary outcome. A multivariable logistic regression model was then utilized to assess associations of race with the primary and secondary outcomes. Results A total of 2,540 women were included in the study. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, maternal morbidity was found to be significantly higher for college-educated non-Hispanic black women compared with non-Hispanic white women (odds ratio [OR] 1.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-2.80). The incidence of neonatal morbidity was significantly higher for non-Hispanic black (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.31-2.79) and Hispanic (OR 3.34, 95% CI 2.23-5.01) women. Conclusion In this cohort, the odds of cesarean-related maternal and neonatal morbidities were significantly higher for college-educated non-Hispanic black women, compared with their non-Hispanic white counterparts. This demonstrates that even among women with higher level education, racial and ethnic disparities persist in obstetric outcomes.

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Special Statement: Utilizing telemedicine to address disparities in maternal-fetal medicine: a call to policy action.

The combination of deserts in maternal-fetal medicine coverage across the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the implementation of telemedicine programs for maternal-fetal medicine care delivery. Although telemedicine-based care has the potential to facilitate timely access to maternal-fetal medicine services, which can improve maternal and neonatal outcomes, telemedicine is a relatively novel healthcare modality that needs to be implemented strategically. As with any medical service, telemedicine care requires rigorous evaluation to assess outcomes and ensure quality. Important health policy considerations, including access to services and insurance coverage, have substantial implications for equity in the implementation of telemedicine, particularly for reproductive healthcare following the 2022 United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. Investing resources and advocating for a rigorous, widely accessible telemedicine infrastructure at this crucial moment will establish an important foundation for more equitable pregnancy care. Key advocacy priorities for maternal-fetal medicine telemedicine include (1) expanding insurance coverage of telemedicine across payers, regardless of geographic location; (2) advocating for interstate licensure parity; (3) increasing access to affordable Internet and digital literacy training; and (4) ensuring access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion care, delivered via telemedicine.

Risk Factors and Risk for Severe Maternal Morbidity in Severe Preeclampsia Complicated by Pulmonary Edema: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to examine risk factors and adverse outcomes related to preeclampsia with severe features complicated by pulmonary edema. STUDY DESIGN: This is a nested case-control study of all patients with preeclampsia with severe features who delivered in a tertiary, urban, academic medical center over a 1-year period. The primary exposure was pulmonary edema and the primary outcome was a composite of severe maternal morbidity (SMM), defined according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and based on International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, Clinical Modification codes. Secondary outcomes included postpartum length of stay, maternal intensive care unit admission, 30-day readmission, and discharge on antihypertensive medication. A multivariable logistic regression model adjusting for clinical characteristics related to the primary outcome was used to determine adjusted odds ratios (aOR) as measures of effect. RESULTS: Of 340 patients with severe preeclampsia, there were seven cases of pulmonary edema (2.1%). Pulmonary edema was associated with lower parity, autoimmune disease, earlier gestational age at diagnosis of preeclampsia and at delivery, and cesarean section. Patients with pulmonary edema demonstrated increased odds of SMM (aOR: 10.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.13-47.90), extended postpartum length of stay (aOR: 32.56, 95% CI: 3.95-268.45), and intensive care unit admission (aOR: 102.85, 95% CI: 7.43-1422.92) compared with those without pulmonary edema. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary edema is associated with adverse maternal outcomes among patients with severe preeclampsia, and is more likely to affect patients who are nulliparous, have an autoimmune disease, and are diagnosed preterm. KEY POINTS: · Pulmonary edema increases odds of severe maternal morbidity in preeclamptics.. · Pulmonary edema prolongs postpartum and intensive care unit stay in preeclamptics.. · Risk factors for pulmonary edema include nulliparity and autoimmune disease.. · Earlier diagnosis of severe preeclampsia increases risk of pulmonary edema..

The impact of an intervention to improve intrapartum maternal vital sign monitoring and reduce alarm fatigue.

BACKGROUND: The infrastructure of many labor and delivery units in the United States may dispose clinicians to overuse continuous and automated maternal physiological monitors. Overmonitoring low-risk patients can negatively affect patient care, primarily through generating alarm fatigue. OBJECTIVE: Given the national attention to reducing alarm fatigue across healthcare settings and the concern for vital sign monitoring overuse on our labor and delivery unit, this quality improvement study aimed to evaluate vital sign monitoring patterns and alarm rates, and nursing experiences of alarm fatigue, before and after implementing a vital sign monitoring guideline for low-risk obstetrical patients. STUDY DESIGN: This was a quality improvement study conducted on the labor and delivery unit of an urban, academic, tertiary hospital. The lack of guidance for maternal vital sign assessment in low-risk patients was identified as a potential safety challenge. A vital sign guideline was developed with multidisciplinary input, followed by a pre-post-implementation study evaluating vital sign volume and alarm rates. Total vital signs and alarm rates for all patients delivered during designated calendar days were assessed as a rate of vital signs per patient and compared across baseline, peri-intervention, and follow-up periods. Data were examined in p-type statistical process control charts and with time-series analysis. Patient characteristics and severe maternal morbidity, as a balancing metric, were compared across periods. Nursing perceptions of vital sign monitoring and experience of alarm fatigue were assessed via survey before and after implementation of the guideline. RESULTS: A total of 35 individual 24-hour periods were evaluated with regard to vital sign and alarm volume. There was a decrease in vital signs per patient from a mean of 208.34 to 135.46 (incidence rate ratio, 0.65) and in alarms per patient from a mean of 14.31 to 10.51 (incidence rate ratio, 0.73) after implementation, with no difference in severe maternal morbidity. There were 85 total respondents to the nursing surveys, and comparison of modified task-load index scores before and after implementation demonstrated overall lower scores in the postperiod, although these were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Introducing a maternal vital sign guideline for low-risk patients on the labor and delivery unit decreased vital signs measured as well as alarms, which may ultimately reduce alarm fatigue. This strategy should be considered on labor and delivery units widely to improve patient safety and optimize outcomes.

What we talk about when we talk about severe maternal morbidity: a call to action to critically review severe maternal morbidity as an outcome measure.

Severe maternal morbidity has historically functioned as an umbrella term to define major, potentially life-threatening obstetrical, medical, and surgical complications of pregnancy. There is no overarching or consensus definition of the constellation of conditions that have been used variably to define severe maternal morbidity, although it is clear that having a well-honed definition of severe maternal morbidity is important for research, quality improvement, and health policy purposes. Although severe maternal morbidity may ultimately elude a single unifying definition because different features may be relevant depending on context and modality of data acquisition, it is valuable to explore the intellectual frameworks and various applications of severe maternal morbidity in current practice, and to consider the potential benefit of more consolidated terminology for maternal morbidity.

Patterns of Prenatal Care Delivery and Obstetric Outcomes before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Health care providers and health systems confronted new challenges to deliver timely, high-quality prenatal care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as the pandemic raised concerns that care would be delayed or substantively changed. This study describes trends in prenatal care delivery in 2020 compared with 2018 to 2019 in a large, commercially insured population and investigates changes in obstetric care processes and outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study uses de-identified administrative claims for commercially insured patients. Patients whose entire pregnancy took place from March 1 to December 31 in years 2018, 2019, and 2020 were included. Trends in prenatal care, including in-person, virtual, and emergency department visits, were evaluated, as were prenatal ultrasounds. The primary outcome was severe maternal morbidity (SMM). Secondary outcomes included preterm birth and stillbirth. To determine whether COVID-19 pandemic-related changes in prenatal care had an impact on maternal outcomes, we compared the outcome rates during the pandemic period in 2020 to equivalent periods in 2018 and 2019. RESULTS: In total, 35,112 patients were included in the study. There was a significant increase in the prevalence of telehealth visits, from 1.1 to 1.2% prior to the pandemic to 17.2% in 2020, as well as a significant decrease in patients who had at least one emergency department visit during 2020. Overall prenatal care and ultrasound utilization were unchanged. The rate of SMM across this period was stable (2.3-2.8%) with a statistically significant decrease in the preterm birth rate in 2020 (7.4%) compared with previous years (8.2-8.6%; p < 0.05) and an unchanged stillbirth rate was observed. CONCLUSION: At a time when many fields of health care were reshaped during the pandemic, these observations reveal considerable resiliency in both the processes and outcomes of obstetric care. KEY POINTS: · Overall prenatal care and ultrasound were unchanged from 2018 to 2019 to 2020.. · There was a large increase in the prevalence of telehealth visits in 2020.. · There was no change in the rate of severe maternal morbidity or stillbirth in 2020 compared with 2018 to 2019..

The Predictive Value of Vital Signs for Morbidity in Pregnancy: Evaluating and Optimizing Maternal Early Warning Systems.

OBJECTIVE: Vital sign scoring systems that alert providers of clinical deterioration prior to critical illness have been proposed as a means of reducing maternal risk. This study examined the predictive ability of established maternal early warning systems (MEWS)-as well as their component vital sign thresholds-for different types of maternal morbidity, to discern an optimal early warning system. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study analyzed all patients admitted to the obstetric services of a four-hospital urban academic system in 2018. Three sets of published MEWS criteria were evaluated. Maternal morbidity was defined as a composite of hemorrhage, infection, acute cardiac disease, and acute respiratory disease ascertained from the electronic medical record data warehouse and administrative data. The test characteristics of each MEWS, as well as for heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were compared. RESULTS: Of 14,597 obstetric admissions, 2,451 patients experienced the composite morbidity outcome (16.8%) including 980 cases of hemorrhage (6.7%), 1,337 of infection (9.2%), 362 of acute cardiac disease (2.5%), and 275 of acute respiratory disease (1.9%) (some patients had multiple types of morbidity). The sensitivities (15.3-64.8%), specificities (56.8-96.1%), and positive predictive values (22.3-44.5%) of the three MEWS criteria ranged widely for overall morbidity, as well as for each morbidity subcategory. Of patients with any morbidity, 28% met criteria for the most liberal vital sign combination, while only 2% met criteria for the most restrictive parameters, compared with 14 and 1% of patients without morbidity, respectively. Sensitivity for all combinations was low (maximum 28.2%), while specificity for all combinations was high, ranging from 86.1 to 99.3%. CONCLUSION: Though all MEWS criteria demonstrated poor sensitivity for maternal morbidity, permutations of the most abnormal vital signs have high specificity, suggesting that MEWS may be better implemented as a trigger tool for morbidity reduction strategies in the highest risk patients, rather than a general screen. KEY POINTS: · MEWS have poor sensitivity for maternal morbidity.. · MEWS can be optimized for high specificity using modified criteria.. · MEWS could be better used as a trigger tool..

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cesarean Morbidity.

OBJECTIVE: Maternal race and ethnicity have been identified as significant independent predictors of obstetric morbidity and mortality in the United States. An appreciation of the clinical contexts in which maternal racial and ethnic disparities are most pronounced can better target efforts to alleviate these disparities and improve outcomes. It remains unknown whether cesarean delivery precipitates these divergent outcomes. This study assessed the association between maternal race and ethnicity and cesarean complications. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study from a multicenter observational cohort of women undergoing cesarean delivery. Nulliparous women with non-anomalous singleton gestations who underwent primary cesarean section were included. Race/ethnicity was categorized as non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, or unknown. The primary outcome was a composite of maternal cesarean complications including hysterectomy, uterine atony, blood transfusion, surgical injury, arterial ligation, infection, wound complication, and ileus. A composite of neonatal morbidity was evaluated as a secondary outcome. We created a multivariable logistic regression model adjusting for selected demographic and obstetric variables that may influence the likelihood of the primary outcome. RESULTS: A total of 14,570 women in the parent trial met inclusion criteria with an 18.8% incidence of the primary outcome (2,742 women). After adjusting for potential confounding variables, maternal surgical morbidity was found to be significantly higher for non-Hispanic Black (adjusted odds ratios [aORs] 1.96, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 1.63-2.35) and Hispanic (aOR 1.66, 95% CI 1.37-2.01) women as compared with non-Hispanic white women. Neonatal morbidity was similarly found to be significantly associated with the Black race and Hispanic ethnicity. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, the odds of cesarean-related maternal and neonatal morbidity were significantly higher for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic women. These findings suggest race as a distinct risk factor for cesarean complications, and efforts to alleviate disparities should highlight cesarean section as an opportunity for improvement in outcomes. KEY POINTS: · Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic women experienced more cesarean complications than non-Hispanic White women.. · These findings suggest that disparities in maternal and neonatal outcomes exist specifically following cesarean section.. · Efforts to alleviate disparities in obstetrics should highlight cesarean section as an opportunity for improvement..

Reducing Alarm Fatigue in Maternal Monitoring on Labor and Delivery: A Commentary on Deimplementation in Obstetrics.

Hospital labor and delivery floors frequently operate like intensive care units (ICUs)-with continuous data feeds pouring into central monitoring stations against a background of blaring alarms. Yet the majority of obstetric patients are healthy and do not require ICU-level care. Despite limited organizational recommendations guiding the frequency of vital sign measurement, continuous pulse oximetry is used widely for laboring patients. There is also no evidence that morbidity prevention is linked to specific frequencies of vital sign monitoring in low-risk patients. In fact, studies examining the performance of maternal early warnings systems based on vital signs suggest that these may not reliably provide actionable information regarding maternal physiologic status. Furthermore, it is very possible that intrapartum maternal overmonitoring can impact care negatively by generating alarm fatigue, causing providers to miss actual abnormal vital signs that may precede morbidity. KEY POINTS: · Labor and delivery units may engage in maternal physiologic overmonitoring.. · Overmonitoring increases risk for alarm fatigue.. · Deimplementing low-value care may improve obstetric outcomes..

The impact of double-blind peer review on gender bias in scientific publishing: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Gender-based bias during journal peer review can lead to publication biases and perpetuate gender inequality in science. Double-blind peer review, in which the names of authors and reviewers are masked, may present an opportunity for scientific literature to increase equity and reduce gender-based biases. This systematic review of studies evaluates the impact of double-blind vs single-blind peer review on the publication rates by perceived author gender. DATA SOURCES: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus electronic databases were searched using the terms "blind," "peer review," "gender," "woman," and "author." All published literature in the English language from database inception through 2020 was queried. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Prospective experimental and observational studies comparing double-blind to single-blind peer review strategies examining impact on publication decisions by author gender were included. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: The extracted data were primarily descriptive and included information on study design, sample size, primary outcome, major findings, and scientific discipline. The studies were characterized on the basis of design and whether the results demonstrated an impact of double-blind peer review on review scores and publication decision by perceived author gender. This study was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews or PROSPERO. RESULTS: In total, 1717 articles were identified, 123 were reviewed, and 8 were included, encompassing 5 prospective experimental studies and 3 observational studies. Four studies demonstrated a difference in the acceptance rate or review score on the basis of perceived author gender, whereas the other 4 studies demonstrated no differences when the author gender was anonymized. CONCLUSION: Studies evaluating the impact of double-blind peer review on author gender demonstrate mixed results, but there is reasonable evidence that gender bias may exist in scientific publishing and that double-blinding can mitigate its impact. Further evaluation of the processes in place to create the body of evidence that clinicians and researchers rely on is essential to reduce bias, particularly in female-majority fields such as obstetrics and gynecology.

Obstetrical Telehealth and Virtual Care Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coincidence of a global pandemic with 21st-century telecommunication technology has led to rapid deployment of virtual obstetric care beginning in March of 2020. Pregnancy involves uniquely time-sensitive health care that may be amenable to restructuring into a hybrid of telemedicine and traditional visits to optimize accessibility and outcomes. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has provided an unprecedented natural laboratory to explore how virtual obstetric care programs can be developed, implemented, and maintained, both as a contingency model for the pandemic and potentially for the future. Here, we discuss the role of telehealth and virtual care for pregnancy management in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, as well as anticipated barriers, challenges, and strategies for success for obstetric telemedicine.

Searching for a biochemical correlate of critical illness in obstetrics: a descriptive study of maternal lactate in patients presenting for acute care in pregnancy.

Obstetric physiology may alter lactate metabolism and affect the ability to use lactate as a discriminator of critical illness in pregnancy. This prospective, cross-sectional study describes venous lactate levels in women presenting for acute care during pregnancy as well as characteristics associated with elevated lactate. Obstetric patients >20-week gestation presenting for acute evaluation were included and a venous lactate sample was drawn for each patient. Elevated lactate was defined as ≥2 mmol/L. One hundred two women were enrolled and venous lactate samples were obtained for 100 participants. Median lactate level was 1.22 (IQR 0.95-1.49) and 86% of patients had normal lactate. Six patients presented with infectious complaints, none of whom had sepsis or elevated lactate. Of the 14 patients with elevated lactate, all presented with labor complaints and 10 (71.4%) were admitted in labor. Elevated lactate level was significantly associated with labor complaints and admission in labor (p < .01). Thus, lactate may not be able to discriminate severe infection consistently in pregnancy as it is confounded by labor. Further research is necessary to clarify how lactate may be used more effectively in pregnant patients and to identify alternate strategies for sepsis screening.

An assessment of baseline risk factors for peripartum maternal critical care interventions.

BACKGROUND: Maternal morbidity presents a growing challenge to the American healthcare system and increasing numbers of patients are requiring higher levels of care in pregnancy. Identifying patients at high risk for critical care interventions, including intensive care unit admission, during delivery hospitalizations may facilitate appropriate multidisciplinary planning and lead to improved maternal safety. Baseline risk factors for critical care in pregnancy have not been well-described previously. OBJECTIVE: This study assesses baseline factors associated with critical care interventions that were present at admission for delivery. STUDY DESIGN: This is a secondary analysis of a multicenter observational registry of pregnancy after prior uterine surgery and primary cesarean delivery. All women with known gestational age were included. The primary outcome measure was a composite of critical care interventions that included postpartum intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, central intravenous access, and arterial line placement. Risk for this critical care outcome measure was compared by selected baseline and obstetric characteristics known at the time of hospital admission, including maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, race, maternal co-morbidities, parity, and plurality. We evaluated these potential predictors and fit a multivariable logistic regression model to ascertain the most significant risk factors for critical care during a delivery hospitalization. RESULTS: 73,096 of 73,257 women in the parent trial met inclusion criteria, of whom 505 underwent a critical care intervention (0.7%). In the adjusted model, heart disease [aOR = 10.05, CI = 6.97 - 14.49], renal disease [aOR = 2.78, CI = 1.49 - 5.18], and connective tissue disease [aOR = 3.27, CI = 1.52 - 6.99], as well as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy [aOR = 2.04, CI = 1.31 - 3.17] were associated with the greatest odds of critical care intervention [p < .01] (Table 2). Other predictors associated with increased risk included maternal age, African American race, smoking, diabetes, asthma, anemia, nulliparity, and twin pregnancy. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, women with cardiac disease, renal disease, connective tissue disease and preeclampsia spectrum disorders were at increased risk for critical care interventions. Obstetric providers should assess patient risk routinely, ensure appropriate maternal level of care, and create multidisciplinary plans to improve maternal safety and reduce risk.

Disparities in obstetric morbidity by maternal level of education.

BACKGROUND: Maternal race and socioeconomic status are predictors of obstetric morbidity and mortality in the U.S. A better understanding of the role that maternal education plays in these disparities could enable and target better interventions to improve obstetric outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the impact of the level of education on morbidity. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective nested cohort study from a multicenter observational cohort of women undergoing cesarean delivery. Nulliparous women with live, non-anomalous singleton gestations who underwent primary cesarean section and had education status recorded were included. Education level was categorized as none, elementary, high school, some college, and a college degree. The primary outcome was a composite of maternal cesarean complications including hysterectomy, uterine atony, blood transfusion, surgical injury, arterial ligation, infection, wound complication, and ileus. A composite of neonatal morbidity was evaluated as a secondary outcome. We then created a multivariable logistic regression model adjusting for selected demographic and obstetric variables that may influence the likelihood of the primary outcome. RESULTS: 10,344 women met inclusion criteria with a 20.3% incidence of the primary outcome. After adjusting for potential confounding variables including race and medical co-morbidities, the incidence of maternal cesarean complications was found to be higher for women with only elementary (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.01-1.78) and high school (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.03-1.48) education, compared to women with a college degree. There was also higher neonatal morbidity among women with high school (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.20-1.62) and some college (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.04-1.46) education, compared to women with a college degree. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that efforts to alleviate adverse outcomes in obstetrics should target patient counseling and health literacy as differences in educational background are closely associated with disparities in maternal and neonatal morbidity.

Racial Disparities in Maternal Critical Care: Are There Racial Differences in Level of Care?

BACKGROUND: Obstetric care in the US is complicated by marked racial and ethnic disparities in maternal obstetric outcomes, including severe morbidity and mortality, which are not explained by underlying differences in patient characteristics. Understanding differences in care delivery related to clinical acuity across different racial groups may help elucidate the source of these disparities. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association of maternal race with utilization of critical care interventions. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted as a secondary analysis of a large, multicenter observational study of women undergoing cesarean delivery. All women with a known delivery date were included. The primary outcome measure, a composite of critical care interventions (CCI) at delivery or postpartum that included mechanical ventilation, central and arterial line placement, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were compared by racial/ethnic group-non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American. We evaluated differences in utilization of critical care with a multivariable regression model accounting for selected characteristics present at admission for delivery, including maternal age, BMI, co-morbidities, parity, and plurality. Maternal mortality was also evaluated as a secondary outcome and the frequency of CCI by significant maternal co-morbidity, specifically heart disease, renal disease, and chronic hypertension was assessed to ascertain the level of care provided to women of different race/ethnicity with specific baseline co-morbidities. RESULTS: 73,096 of 73,257 women in the parent trial met inclusion criteria, of whom 505 (0.7%) received a CCI and 3337 (4.6%) had a significant medical co-morbidity (1.2% heart disease, 0.8% renal disease, 2.5% chronic hypertension). The mortality rate was significantly higher among non-Hispanic black women, compared to non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women. In the adjusted model, there was no significant association between CCI and race/ethnicity. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that differences in maternal morbidity by race may be accounted for by differential escalation to higher intensity care. Further investigation into processes for care intensification may continue to clarify sources of racial and ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and potential for improvement.

Wrong-Patient Orders in Obstetrics.

OBJECTIVE: To compare rates of wrong-patient orders among patients on obstetric units compared with reproductive-aged women admitted to medical-surgical units. METHODS: This was an observational study conducted in a large health system in New York between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. The primary outcome was near-miss wrong-patient orders identified using the National Quality Forum-endorsed Wrong-Patient Retract-and-Reorder measure. All electronic orders placed for eligible patients during the study period were extracted retrospectively from the health system data warehouse, and the unit of analysis was the order session (consecutive orders placed by a single clinician for a patient within 60 minutes). Multilevel logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs comparing the probability of retract-and-reorder events in obstetric and medical-surgical units, overall, and in subgroups defined by clinician type and order timing. RESULTS: Overall, 1,329,463 order sessions were placed during the study period, including 676,643 obstetric order sessions (from 45,436 patients) and 652,820 medical-surgical order sessions (from 12,915 patients). The rate of 79.5 retract-and-reorder events per 100,000 order sessions in obstetric units was significantly higher than the rate in the general medical-surgical population of 42.3 per 100,000 order sessions (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.64-2.39). The obstetric retract-and-reorder event rate was significantly higher for attending physicians and house staff compared with advanced practice clinicians. There were no significant differences in error rates between day and night shifts. CONCLUSION: Order errors occurred more frequently on obstetric units compared with medical-surgical units. Systems strategies shown to decrease these events in other high-risk specialties should be explored in obstetrics to render safer maternity care.

Examining ultrasound diagnostic performance improvement with utilization of maternal-fetal medicine tele-interpretation.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine can extend essential health services to under-resourced settings and improve the quality of obstetrical care. Specifically, the evaluation and management of fetal anomalies require perinatal subspecialists, rendering prenatal diagnosis essential, and may benefit from telemedicine platforms to improve access to care. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a maternal-fetal medicine telemedicine ultrasound program on the diagnostic accuracy of fetal anomalies when used within practices where ultrasounds are interpreted by general obstetricians or family medicine physicians. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of all patients receiving care at 11 private obstetrical practices and imaging centers who had obstetrical ultrasounds performed from January 1, 2020, to July 6, 2020. All ultrasounds were performed by sonographers remotely trained under a standardized protocol and interpreted by maternal-fetal medicine physicians via telemedicine. Ultrasound characteristics and interpretation were extracted from ultrasound reports. Before the introduction of maternal-fetal medicine telemedicine, all ultrasound interpretations were reviewed by general obstetricians and family medicine physicians with reliance predominantly on the sonographer's impression. The primary outcome was potential missed diagnosis of a fetal anomaly, defined as an ultrasound designated as normal by a sonographer but diagnosed with an anomaly by a maternal-fetal medicine physician via telemedicine. This outcome serves as a proxy measure for anomaly diagnoses that would likely be missed without the supervision of a maternal-fetal medicine physician. The characteristics of the potential missed diagnoses were compared by type of scan and fetal organ system in univariable analysis. Moreover, a survey was conducted for sonographers and obstetrical providers to assess their perceptions of ultrasound interpretation via telemedicine. RESULTS: Overall, 6403 ultrasound examinations were evaluated, 310 of which had a diagnosis of fetal anomaly by a maternal-fetal medicine physician (4.8%). Of the fetal anomalies, 43 were diagnosed on an anatomic survey (13.9%), and 89 were diagnosed as cardiac anomalies (28.7%). The overall rate of the potential missed diagnoses was 34.5% and varied significantly by type of ultrasound (anatomy scans vs other first-, second-, and third-trimester ultrasounds) (P<.01). Moreover, there were significant differences in the rate of the potential missed diagnoses by organ system, with the highest rate for cardiac anomalies (P<.01). CONCLUSION: Expertise in maternal-fetal medicine telemedicine improves the diagnostic performance of antenatal ultrasound throughout pregnancy. However, there are implications for improving the quality of antenatal care, such as ensuring appropriate referrals and site of delivery, particularly for cardiac anomalies.

Risk for and disparities in critical care during delivery hospitalizations.

BACKGROUND: Need for critical care during delivery hospitalizations may be an important maternal outcome measure, but it is not well characterized. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the risks and disparities in critical care diagnoses and interventions during delivery hospitalizations. STUDY DESIGN: This serial cross-sectional study used the 2000-2014 National Inpatient Sample. Here, the primary outcome was a composite of critical care interventions and diagnoses, including mechanical ventilation and intubation, central monitoring, septicemia, coma, acute cerebrovascular disease, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, Swan-Ganz catheter monitoring, cardiac rhythm conversion, and respiratory failure. Temporal trends, risk of death, and the proportion of deaths with a critical care composite diagnosis were determined. Unadjusted and adjusted log-linear regression models were fit with a critical care composite as the outcome, adjusting for demographic, clinical, and hospital factors. To evaluate the role of critical care interventions in disparities, analyses were stratified by maternal race and ethnicity. RESULTS: Of 45.8 million deliveries identified, 0.21% had a critical care procedure or diagnosis during the delivery hospitalization. Overall, 75.8% of maternal deaths had an associated diagnosis from a critical care composite. The critical composite increased from 17.9 to 30.3 per 10,000 deliveries from 2000 to 2014 with an average annual percentage change of 3.4% (95% confidence interval, 1.3-5.5). Mechanical ventilation and intubation (21.5% of cases) and respiratory failure (54.8% of cases) were the most common diagnoses present in the composite. Although non-Hispanic black women were at 32.4% higher risk than non-Hispanic white women to die in the setting of a critical care diagnosis (2.2% vs 1.7%; P<.01), they were 162% more likely to have a critical care diagnosis (risk ratio, 2.62; 95% confidence interval, 2.58-2.66). Of clinical factors, primary cesarean delivery (adjusted relative risk, 7.54; 95% confidence interval, 7.43-7.65), postpartum hemorrhage (adjusted relative risk, 5.11; 95% confidence interval, 5.02-5.19), and chronic kidney disease (adjusted relative risk, 4.06; 95% confidence interval, 3.89-4.23) were associated with the highest adjusted risk of a critical care composite. CONCLUSION: Three-quarters of maternal deaths were associated with a critical care diagnosis or procedure. The rate of critical care during delivery hospitalizations increased over the study period. Maternal mortality disparities may result from risks of conditions that require critical care rather than the care received once a critical care condition has developed.