Neurodevelopmental Outcome at Corrected Age of 2 Years among Children Born Preterm with Operative Vaginal Delivery: A Population-Based Study (LIFT Cohort).

The aim of the study was to determine whether operative vaginal delivery (OVD) was associated with non-optimal neurocognitive development at the corrected age of 2 years for preterm singletons using the Loire Infant Follow-up Team (LIFT) longitudinal cohort, a French regional perinatal network and prospective, population-based cohort of preterm infants. For this study, we included women with cephalic singletons and planned vaginal delivery from 24 to 34 weeks' gestation between 2006 and 2016. The main exposure was the mode of delivery (spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD), OVD, and cesarean delivery (CS) during labor). The primary outcome was non-optimal neurodevelopmental outcome at the corrected age of 2 years assessed by a physical examination, a neuropsychological test, and/or a parental questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were survival at discharge and survival at discharge without morbidity. We used the multivariate logistic regression and propensity score methods to compare outcomes associated with OVD. The study included 1934 infants born preterm: 1384 (71.6%) with SVD, 87 (4.5%) with OVD, and 463 (23.9%) with CS. Neonates with SVD, OVD, and CS did not differ in survival (97.0%, 97.7%, and 97.8%, respectively; p = 0.79) or in survival without morbidity (82.8%, 86.2%, and 82.7%, respectively; p = 0.71). In survived infants, 1578 (81.6%) were evaluated at age two: 279 (17.7%) were considered to have a non-optimal neurodevelopmental outcome (18.3% after SVD, 18.0% after OVD, and 15.9% after CS; p = 0.57). Propensity score analysis showed that OVD was not associated with non-optimal neurocognitive development at age two, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.86 and a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 0.47-1.69, compared with SVD; and an aOR of 0.76 and a 95% CI of 0.31-1.8, compared with CS. Operative vaginal delivery was not associated with non-optimal neurocognitive development at 2 years of corrected age for preterm singletons.

Assisted reproductive techniques do not impact late neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm children.

Objective: Assisted reproductive technology (ART) increases the rate of preterm births, though few studies have analyzed outcomes for these infants. No data are available on 4-year-old children born prematurely after ART. The objective was to investigate whether ART affect the neurodevelopmental outcomes at 4 years in preterm infants born before 34 weeks of gestational age (GA). Methods and results: A total of 166 ART and 679 naturally conceived preterm infants born before 34 weeks GA between 2013 and 2015 enrolled in the Loire Infant Follow-up Team were included. Neurodevelopment was assessed at 4 years using the age and stage questionnaire (ASQ) and the need for therapy services. The association between the socio-economic and perinatal characteristics and non-optimal neurodevelopment at 4 years was estimated. After adjustment, the ART preterm group remained significantly associated with a lower risk of having at least two domains in difficulty at ASQ: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.13-0.88), p = 0.027. The factors independently associated with non-optimal neurodevelopment at 4 years were male gender, low socio-economic level, and 25-30 weeks of GA at birth. The need for therapy services was similar between groups (p = 0.079). The long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm children born after ART are very similar, or even better than that of the spontaneously conceived children.

The experience of giving birth: a prospective cohort in a French perinatal network.

BACKGROUND: To assess women's positive and negative perceptions after giving birth. The secondary objectives were to identify the women who had a negative perception of their delivery, define the risk factors, and propose actions that maternity units can take to improve their management. METHODS/DESIGN: This study was a multicenter, prospective cohort, conducted in 23 French maternity units constituting one perinatal network, in 2019. All adult women who understood French and gave birth between February 1 and September 27, 2019, were eligible. The exclusion criterion was the woman's objection to participation. Validated self-administered questionnaire (QACE) was sent by email 6 weeks after the child's birth. The main outcome was the experience of childbirth, assessed on a scale of 0 to 10. A good experience was defined by a score ≥ 8/10, and a poor experience by a score < 5. A multinomial logistic regression model, expressed by cumulative proportional odds ratios, were used to determine the factors that might have affected women's experiences during childbirth. RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred and thirty-fifth women completed the questionnaire, for a participation rate of 49.6%. Overall, 70.7% (n = 1501/2121) of the women reported a good experience, including 38% (n = 807/2121) who graded their experience with the maximum score of 10. On the other hand, 7.3% (n = 156) of the women reported a poor experience. Vaginal delivery (aOR 3.93, 95%CI, 3.04-5.08) and satisfactory management (aOR 11.35 (7.69-16.75)) were the principal determining factors of a positive experience. Epidural analgesia increased the feeling of failure (aOR 5.64, 95%CI, 2.75-13.66). Receiving information and being asked for and agreeing to consent improved the global experience (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The Identikit picture of the woman associated with a poor experience of childbirth shows a nullipara who had a complication during her pregnancy, gave birth after induction of labor, or by cesarean or operative vaginal delivery, with the newborn transferred for pediatric care, and medical management considered unsatisfactory.

Neurodevelopmental outcome at 24 months of healthy infants at birth with an umbilical artery blood pH ≤ 7 and/or hyperlactacidemia ≥ 7 mmol/L.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of acidosis in term and healthy newborns and the consequences for their neurodevelopment are poorly understood. The aim of our study was to assess neurodevelopmental outcomes at 24 months of age via a parental questionnaire (ASQ, Ages and Stages Questionnaires) for a sample of infants born at term with an umbilical arterial blood pH ≤ 7 or/and hyperlactacidemia ≥ 7 mmol/L. In addition, we compared these groups' neurodevelopmental outcomes with a control group. METHODS: During the 29 months of the study, we retrospectively included all children who had an umbilical artery (UA) cord blood pH ≤ 7 and/or lactates ≥ 7 mmol/L with good clinical adaptation. We also included a control group of term newborns with normal gases at birth. Ages and Stages questionnaires were sent to parents at 24 months of age. RESULTS: Among the 9016 births during the study, 7.1% of babies had a UA pH ≤ 7 and/or lactates ≥ 7 mmol/L. The ASQ was considered non-optimal for 32.2% and 36.3% of respondents in the acidosis and control group, respectively, without any significant difference (P = 0.382). After matching for gestational age and sex, there was also no significant difference in the rate of non-optimal ASQ. The percentage of abnormal communication was significantly higher in the control group (19.7% vs 11.4%, P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Isolated biochemical umbilical cord blood abnormalities in term or near-term newborns with good adaptation do not appear to have a long-term impact on development. These results are rather reassuring, and the absence of specific follow-up for these children seems reasonable.

Predictive Value of the Global School Adaptation Questionnaire at 5 Years of Age and Educational Support at 7 Years of Age in Very Preterm Children.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the Global School Adaptation (GSA) questionnaire of children's abilities and classroom behavior administered to teachers of very preterm children at 5 years of age as a predictor of the need for educational support (grade retention, special class, learning support) at age 7. STUDY DESIGN: We assessed 858 very preterm children (<33 weeks of gestation) at 5 years of age using the GSA and again at 7 years to determine the use of educational support. We examined the association between the GSA score and educational support at 7 years and performed a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: At 7 years of age, 130 children had educational support (15.2%). Children with a nonoptimal GSA score (<45) at 5 years required educational support more often (57.7%) than children with a GSA score of 45 or greater (15.4%) (OR, 7.5; 95% CI, 5.02-11.21). The need for educational support was associated with male sex; a low parent socioeconomic level; lower birth weight, birth head circumference, or gestational age (28-30 weeks of gestation); severe neurologic complications; patent ductus arteriosus ligation; and the use of therapy services at 5 years of age. After adjustment, only the GSA score was associated with educational support at 7 years of age (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.84-0.88). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the GSA performance revealed an optimal cut-off at 48, with a sensitivity of 70.8%, a specificity of 73.5%, and an area under the curve of 0.79. CONCLUSIONS: Using a cut-off score of 48, the GSA at 5 years of age may be a useful tool to identify children born preterm at risk of school-based learning difficulties.

Relative contributions of prenatal complications, perinatal characteristics, neonatal morbidities and socio-economic conditions of preterm infants on the occurrence of developmental disorders up to 7 years of age.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the relative contributions of prenatal complications, perinatal characteristics, neonatal morbidities and socio-economic conditions on the occurrence of motor, sensory, cognitive, language and psychological disorders in a large longitudinal preterm infant population during the first 7 years after birth. METHODS: The study population comprised 4122 infants born at <35 weeks of gestation who were followed for an average of 74.0 months after birth. Developmental disorders, including motor, sensory, cognitive, language and psychological, were assessed at each follow-up visit from 18 months to 7 years of age. The investigated determinants included prenatal complications (prolonged rupture of membranes >24 hours, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm labour and maternal hypertension), perinatal characteristics (gender, multiple pregnancies, gestational age, birth weight, APGAR score and intubation or ventilation in the delivery room), neonatal complications (low weight gain during hospitalization, respiratory assistance, severe neurological anomalies, nosocomial infections) and socio-economic characteristics (socio-economic level, parental separation, urbanicity). Based on hazard ratios determined using a propensity score matching approach, population-attributable fractions (PAF) were calculated for each of the four types of determinants and for each developmental disorder. RESULTS: The percentages of motor, sensory, cognitive, language and psychological disorders were 17.0, 13.4, 29.1, 25.9 and 26.1%, respectively. The PAF for the perinatal characteristics were the highest and they were similar for the different developmental disorders considered (around 60%). For the neonatal and socio-economic determinants, the PAF varied according to the disorder, with contributions of up to 17% for motor and 27% for language disorders, respectively. Finally, prenatal complications had the lowest contributions (between 6 and 13%). CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates the heterogeneity of risk factors on the risk of developmental disorder in preterm infants. These results suggest the importance of considering both medical and psycho-social follow-ups of preterm infants and their families.

Predictors of failed intrauterine balloon tamponade for persistent postpartum hemorrhage after vaginal delivery.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the predictors of intrauterine balloon tamponade (IUBT) failure for persistent postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) after vaginal delivery. DESIGN: Retrospective case-series in five maternity units in a perinatal network. SETTING: All women who underwent IUBT for persistent PPH after vaginal delivery from January 2011 to December 2015 in these hospitals. METHODS: All maternity apply the same management policy for PPH. IUBT, using a Bakri balloon, was used as a second line therapy for persistent PPH after failure of bimanual uterine massage and uterotonics to stop bleeding after vaginal delivery. Women who required another second line therapy (embolization or surgical procedures) to stop bleeding after IUBT were defined as cases, and women whom IUBT stopped bleeding were defined as control group. We determined independent predictors for failed IUBT using multiple regression and adjusting for demographics with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: During the study period, there were 91,880 deliveries in the five hospitals and IUBT was used in 108 women to control bleeding. The success rate was 74.1% (80/108). In 28 women, invasive procedures were required (19 embolization and 9 surgical procedures with 5 peripartum hysterectomies). Women with failed IUBT were more often obese (25.9% vs. 8.1%; p = 0.03), duration of labor was shorter (363.9 min vs. 549.7min; p = 0.04), and major PPH (≥1,500 mL) before IUBT was more frequent (64% vs. 40%; p = 0.04). Obesity was a predictive factor of failed IUBT (aOR 4.40, 95% CI 1.06-18.31). Major PPH before IUBT seemed to be another predictor of failure (aOR 1.001, 95% CI 1.000-1.002), but our result did not reach statistical significativity. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine balloon tamponade is an effective second line therapy for persistent primary PPH after vaginal delivery. Pre-pregnancy obesity is a risk factor of IUBT failure.

Impact of parental separation or divorce on school performance in preterm children: A population-based study.

The objective of this study was to quantify the possible decrease in school performance at five years of age in preterm children associated with parental separation or divorce, and to test whether this effect varies according to the child's age at the time of the separation. This study included 3,308 infants delivered at < 35 weeks of gestation born between 2003 and 2011 who were enrolled in the population-based LIFT cohort and who had an optimal neurodevelopmental outcome at two years of age. These infants were evaluated by their teachers to assess their abilities and behavior when they had reached five years of age, using the Global School Adaptation (GSA) questionnaire. The mean GSA score was 50.8 points. Parental separations (assessed as parents either living together or living separately) were associated with a decrease in school performance at five years of age, although this was only the case for children who exhibited difficulties at school (3.7 points, p < 0.01). A decrease in school performance only occurred when parental separations took place between 3 and 5 years after the child's birth. Parental separation was associated with a decrease in these children's levels of motivation, autonomy, and manual dexterity. This study indicates that preterm infants of parents who had separated are particularly at risk of a lower scholar performance.

Impact of preterm birth on parental separation: a French population-based longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate both the effects of low gestational age and infant's neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age on the risk of parental separation within 7 years of giving birth. DESIGN: Prospective. SETTING: 24 maternity clinics in the Pays-de-la-Loire region. PARTICIPANTS: This study included 5732 infants delivered at <35 weeks of gestation born between 2005 and 2013 who were enrolled in the population-based Loire Infant Follow-up Team cohort and who had a neurodevelopmental evaluation at 2 years. This neurodevelopmental evaluation was based on a physical examination, a psychomotor evaluation and a parent-completed questionnaire. OUTCOME MEASURE: Risk of parental separation (parents living together or parents living separately). RESULTS: Ten percent (572/5732) of the parents reported having undergone separation during the follow-up period. A mediation analysis showed that low gestational age had no direct effect on the risk of parental separation. Moreover, a non-optimal neurodevelopment at 2 years was associated with an increased risk of parental separation corresponding to a HR=1.49(1.23 to 1.80). Finally, the increased risk of parental separation was aggravated by low socioeconomic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of low gestational age on the risk of parental separation was mediated by the infant's neurodevelopment.

Likely effect of the 2014 Ebola epidemic on HIV care in Liberia.

OBJECTIVE: Liberia's health system has been severely struck by the 2014 Ebola epidemic. We aimed to assess the potential effect of this epidemic on the care of HIV patient in two clinics [John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Redemption Hospitals] in Monrovia, which stayed open throughout the epidemic. DESIGN AND METHODS: A preexisting electronic database of HIV patient's follow-up visits was used to estimate three weekly parameters from January 2012 to October 2014: number of visits, number of new patient, and proportion of patients with follow-up delay. We used segmented negative binomial regressions to assess trends before and after the week of the Ebola outbreak defined in June 2014 by WHO. RESULTS: The cumulative number of patients in care comprised 5948 patients with a total of 56 287 visits between January 2012 and October 2014. From June 2014, the number of visit per week, stable since 2012, abruptly decreased (59%) in Redemption (P < 0.001) and progressively decreased by 3% per week in JFK (P < 0.001). In both the clinics, the weekly proportion of patient with follow-up delay sharply increased after the point break from June 2014 (P value < 0.001). From June 2014, a significant decrease in new patients per week occurred in both the clinics: by 57% (P value < 0.001) in Redemption and by 4.6% per week (P value < 0.001) in JFK. CONCLUSION: The Ebola epidemic had a significant effect on HIV care in Monrovia. Given the particular impact on the rate of patients with follow-up delay, a long-term impact is feared.

Improving prediction of surgical site infection risk with multilevel modeling.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance is a key factor in the elaboration of strategies to reduce SSI occurrence and in providing surgeons with appropriate data feedback (risk indicators, clinical prediction rule). AIM: To improve the predictive performance of an individual-based SSI risk model by considering a multilevel hierarchical structure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were collected anonymously by the French SSI active surveillance system in 2011. An SSI diagnosis was made by the surgical teams and infection control practitioners following standardized criteria. A random 20% sample comprising 151 hospitals, 502 wards and 62280 patients was used. Three-level (patient, ward, hospital) hierarchical logistic regression models were initially performed. Parameters were estimated using the simulation-based Markov Chain Monte Carlo procedure. RESULTS: A total of 623 SSI were diagnosed (1%). The hospital level was discarded from the analysis as it did not contribute to variability of SSI occurrence (p  = 0.32). Established individual risk factors (patient history, surgical procedure and hospitalization characteristics) were identified. A significant heterogeneity in SSI occurrence between wards was found (median odds ratio [MOR] 3.59, 95% credibility interval [CI] 3.03 to 4.33) after adjusting for patient-level variables. The effects of the follow-up duration varied between wards (p<10-9), with an increased heterogeneity when follow-up was <15 days (MOR 6.92, 95% CI 5.31 to 9.07]). The final two-level model significantly improved the discriminative accuracy compared to the single level reference model (p<10-9), with an area under the ROC curve of 0.84. CONCLUSION: This study sheds new light on the respective contribution of patient-, ward- and hospital-levels to SSI occurrence and demonstrates the significant impact of the ward level over and above risk factors present at patient level (i.e., independently from patient case-mix).

Validation of an auditory sensory reinforcement paradigm: Campbell's monkeys (Cercopithecus campbelli) do not prefer consonant over dissonant sounds.

The central position and universality of music in human societies raises the question of its phylogenetic origin. One of the most important properties of music involves harmonic musical intervals, in response to which humans show a spontaneous preference for consonant over dissonant sounds starting from early human infancy. Comparative studies conducted with organisms at different levels of the primate lineage are needed to understand the evolutionary scenario under which this phenomenon emerged. Although previous research found no preference for consonance in a New World monkey species, the question remained opened for Old World monkeys. We used an experimental paradigm based on a sensory reinforcement procedure to test auditory preferences for consonant sounds in Campbell's monkeys (Cercopithecus campbelli campbelli), an Old World monkey species. Although a systematic preference for soft (70 dB) over loud (90 dB) control white noise was found, Campbell's monkeys showed no preference for either consonant or dissonant sounds. The preference for soft white noise validates our noninvasive experimental paradigm, which can be easily reused in any captive facility to test for auditory preferences. This would suggest that human preference for consonant sounds is not systematically shared with New and Old World monkeys. The sensitivity for harmonic musical intervals emerged probably very late in the primate lineage.

Is targeted surveillance effective for surgical site-infection control? Results in digestive tract surgery from the Incidence des Infections du site Opératoire network.

We used 6 years of surgical site infection (SSI) data collected by a surveillance system in northern France to compare targeted and pooled surveillance models. Digestive tract surgery wards were ranked according to SSI risk for herniorraphy, appendectomy, and cholecystectomy. The pooled and targeted models were correlated, despite differences in the number of outlier wards detected, indicating that the ranking of wards according to whether they have met a specified benchmark SSI rate depends on the strategy chosen.

Variation in blood and body fluids exposure when small-gauge needles or peripheral venous catheters were implicated: results of a 4-year surveillance in France.

The blood and body fluids exposure (BBFE) risk for health care workers varies according to numerous factors. Based on a needlestick surveillance in 13 French hospitals from 1997 to 2000, we evaluated incidence and temporal trends of BBFE according to medical devices causing needlestick injuries. We observed that the BBFE incidence per 100,000 peripheral venous catheters purchased decreased from 12.9 to 4.9, whereas incidence per 100,000 subcutaneous needles purchased increased from 8.7 to 14.3.

[Evaluation of vertebral fractures with dual energy absorptiometry: is it an alternative to conventional radiography?]. / Evaluation des fractures vertébrales par absorptiométrie à double énergie: une alternative à la radiographie conventionnelle?

A new technique based on bone densitometry is proposed, as a potential alternative to X rays evaluation of vertebral deformities. Compared to conventional X ray, this technique offers a good specificity ranging from 95 to 99%. The variable sensitivity reported (from 0.53 to 0.92%), due to poor detection of higher thoracic vertebrae, hampers the diagnostic value of the technique. Nevertheless, its good negative predictive value may allow its use as a screening tool in a high risk population. Main progress should be performed on the image definition in order to increase the diagnostic sensitivity of the technique.