Comparison of Cesarean Deliveries in a Multicenter U.S. Cohort Using the 10-Group Classification System.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to (1) use the Robson 10-Group Classification System (TGCS), which classifies deliveries into 10 mutually exclusive groups, to characterize the groups that are primary contributors to cesarean delivery frequencies, (2) describe inter-hospital variations in cesarean delivery frequencies, and (3) evaluate the contribution of patient characteristics by TGCS group to hospital variation in cesarean delivery frequencies. STUDY DESIGN: This was a secondary analysis of an observational cohort of 115,502 deliveries from 25 hospitals between 2008 and 2011. The TGCS was applied to the cohort and each hospital. We identified and compared the TGCS groups with the greatest relative contributions to cohort and hospital cesarean delivery frequencies. We assessed variation in hospital cesarean deliveries attributable to patient characteristics within TGCS groups using hierarchical logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 115,211 patients were classifiable in the TGCS (99.7%). The cohort cesarean delivery frequency was 31.4% (hospital range: 19.1-39.3%). Term singletons in vertex presentation with a prior cesarean delivery (group 5) were the greatest relative contributor to cohort (34.8%) and hospital cesarean delivery frequencies (median: 33.6%; range: 23.8-45.5%). Nulliparous term singletons in vertex (NTSV) presentation (groups 1 [spontaneous labor] and 2 [induced or absent labor]: 28.9%), term singletons in vertex presentation with a prior cesarean delivery (group 5: 34.8%), and preterm singletons in vertex presentation (group 10: 9.8%) contributed to 73.2% of the relative cesarean delivery frequency for the cohort and were correlated with hospital cesarean delivery frequencies (Spearman's rho = 0.96). Differences in patient characteristics accounted for 34.1% of hospital-level cesarean delivery variation in group 2. CONCLUSION: The TGCS highlights the contribution of NTSV presentation to cesarean delivery frequencies and the impact of patient characteristics on hospital-level variation in cesarean deliveries among nulliparous patients with induced or absent labor. KEY POINTS: · We report on the cesarean delivery frequencies in a multicenter U.S. COHORT: . · NTSV gestations (groups 1 and 2) are a primary driver of cesarean deliveries.. · Patient characteristics contributed most to hospital variation in cesarean deliveries in group 2..

Adverse Outcomes with Maternal Blood Pressure Less than 140/90 in Pregnancy Complicated by Hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the risk of small for gestational age and other outcomes in pregnancies complicated by chronic hypertension with blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort of singletons with hypertension at a single institution from 2000 to 2014. Mean systolic blood pressure and mean diastolic blood pressure were analyzed as continuous and dichotomous variables (<120/80 and 120-139/80-89 mm Hg). The primary outcome was small for gestational age. Secondary outcomes included birth weight, preeclampsia, preterm birth <35 weeks, and a composite of adverse neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: Small for gestational age was not increased with a mean systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg compared with a mean systolic blood pressure 120 to 129 mm Hg (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92-2.79). Mean diastolic blood pressure <80 mm Hg was associated with a decrease in the risk preeclampsia (AOR 0.57; 95% CI 0.35-0.94), preterm birth <35 weeks (AOR 0.35; 95% CI 0.20-0.62), and the composite neonatal outcome (AOR 0.42; 95% CI 0.22-0.81). CONCLUSION: Mean systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg and mean diastolic blood pressure <80 mm Hg were not associated with increased risk of small for gestational age when compared with higher, normal mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Pregnancy Outcomes after Early Amniotomy among Class III Obese Gravidas Undergoing Induction of Labor.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate differences in pregnancy outcomes following early amniotomy in women with class III obesity (body mass index ≥40 kg/m2) undergoing induction of labor. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study of women with class III obesity undergoing term induction of labor from January 2007 to February 2013. Early amniotomy was defined as artificial membrane rupture at less than 4 cm cervical dilation. The primary outcome was cesarean delivery. Secondary outcomes included length of labor, a maternal morbidity composite, and a neonatal morbidity composite. A subgroup analysis examined the effect of parity. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for covariates. RESULTS: Of 285 women meeting inclusion criteria, 107 (37.5%) underwent early amniotomy and 178 (62.5%) underwent late amniotomy. Early amniotomy was associated with cesarean delivery after multivariable adjustments (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-3.47). There were no significant differences in length of labor or maternal and neonatal morbidity between groups. When stratified by parity, early amniotomy was associated with increased cesarean delivery (aOR, 3.10; 95% CI, 1.47-6.58) only in nulliparous women. CONCLUSION: Early amniotomy among class III obese women, especially nulliparous women, undergoing labor induction may be associated with an increased risk of cesarean delivery.

Variation in the Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex Cesarean Delivery Rate.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the contributions of patient and health care provider-hospital characteristics to the variation in the frequency of nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex cesarean delivery in a multi-institutional U.S. cohort. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of the multicenter Assessment of Perinatal Excellence cohort of 115,502 mother and neonatal pairs who were delivered at 25 hospitals between March 2008 and February 2011. Women met inclusion criteria if they were nulliparous and delivered a singleton in vertex presentation at term. Hospital ranks for nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex cesarean delivery frequency were determined after risk adjustment. The fraction of variation in nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex cesarean delivery frequency attributable to patient and health care provider-hospital characteristics was assessed using hierarchical logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 115,502 deliveries in the initial cohort, 38,275 nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex deliveries met inclusion criteria. The median hospital nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex cesarean delivery frequency was 25.3% with a range from 15.0% to 35.2%. The majority of hospitals (16/25) changed rank quintiles after risk adjustment; overall the changes in rank were not statistically significant (P=.53). Patient characteristics accounted for 24% of the nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex cesarean delivery variation. The analyzed health care provider-hospital characteristics were not significantly associated with cesarean delivery frequency. CONCLUSION: Although patient characteristics accounted for some of the variation in nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex cesarean delivery frequency and accounting for case mix had implications for hospital cesarean delivery rankings, the majority of the variation was not explained by the characteristics evaluated. These findings emphasize the importance of continued efforts to understand aspects of obstetric care, including case mix, that contribute to cesarean delivery variation.

High Rates of High-Grade Cervical Dysplasia in High-Risk Young Women With Low-Grade Cervical Cytology.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine rates of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2 or greater in high-risk, racially diverse, young women with low-grade cytology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After institutional review board approval, a cross-sectional study of 21- to 24-year-old women with low-grade cytology (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, high-risk human papillomavirus+, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, or human papillomavirus+ only) managed with colposcopy at our university-based clinic between May 2011 and April 2013 were identified. Demographics and pathologic data were collected including age, race, parity, smoking status, screening history, and histology. Student t test and χ tests were used to compare women with and without CIN 2 or 3. Univariate analysis was performed with demographic data. RESULTS: One thousand fifty-eight women with a mean (SD) age of 22.5 (1.1) were included. Most patients (59.5%) were parous, 36.1% were smokers, and most (52.9%) were black. These patients were considered high risk because of their lower socioeconomic status, minority status, lack of insurance, or having Medicaid and therefore had limited access to preventative health care. Based on colposcopy, the prevalence of CIN 2+ was 19.1%: 13.9% (95% CI = 11.9-16.1) CIN 2 and 5.1% (95% CI = 3.9-6.6) CIN 3. There was an overall prevalence of 4.7% (95% CI = 3.7%-6.3%) of CIN 3 from excisional pathology from the 157 of 185 patients who returned for a recommended excisional procedure. Smoking (odds ratio = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.2-2.25) and a history of high-grade cytology (odds ratio = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.02-4.01) were associated with CIN 2/3. CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of CIN 2/3 in young women with low-grade cervical cytology in this population suggests that it may be prudent to consider alternative surveillance such as colposcopy in similar high-risk populations.

Completion and Sensitivity of the Second-Trimester Fetal Anatomic Survey in Obese Gravidas.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of maternal body mass index (BMI) on the completion of fetal anatomic surveys before 20 weeks' estimated gestational age (GA). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of singletons undergoing standard or detailed anatomic sonographic examinations from 2006 to 2014. Patients were categorized by ranges of BMI. The primary outcomes were completion of standard and detailed anatomic surveys before 20 weeks' estimated GA. The effect of the BMI category was assessed by the χ2 test for trends and analysis of variance. RESULTS: Of 15,313 patients, 5917 (38%) were obese, and 1581 (10%) had a BMI of 40 kg/m2 or higher. Standard (P < .01) and detailed (P < .01) surveys were less likely to be completed as the BMI category increased. Suboptimal visualization of the fetal chest (P < .01), abdomen (P < .01), and extremities (P < .01) significantly contributed to the decreased standard survey completion rates. Suboptimal visualization of the fetal head (P < .01) and chest (P < .01) significantly contributed to the decreased detailed survey completion rates. There was no statistically significant difference in the sensitivity of a completed standard or detailed anatomic survey for the detection of fetal anomalies. CONCLUSIONS: An increasing BMI category was associated with decreased completion of standard and detailed anatomic surveys by 20 weeks' estimated GA. Strategies to improve early visualization of the fetal head, chest, and abdomen in obese women should be investigated to promote anomaly detection and appropriate counseling.

Early warning score: An indicator of adverse outcomes in postoperative patients on a gynecologic oncology service.

OBJECTIVE: In 2014, our hospital implemented an early warning score (EWS) to identify inpatients at risk for clinical deterioration. EWS≥8 is associated with ≥10% mortality in medical admissions. Since postoperative hemodynamic changes may alter EWS, we evaluated EWS in post-laparotomy patients. METHODS: Gynecologic oncology patients admitted for laparotomy from 9/1/2014 to 7/31/2015 were categorized by highest EWS during admission: <5, 5-7, and ≥8. The primary outcome was a composite including death, ICU transfer, rapid response team activation, pulmonary embolus, sepsis, and reoperation. For patients with the composite, highest EWS prior to that outcome was evaluated. Secondary outcomes were length of stay (LOS), readmission, and transfusion. Groups were compared using chi-square test for trend, analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve estimated the association between EWS and the composite outcome. RESULTS: 411 patients were included: 217 (52.8%) with EWS<5, 151 (36.7%) with EWS 5-7, and 43 (10.5%) with EWS≥8. The composite occurred in 32.6% of patients with EWS≥8, 7.3% with EWS 5-7, and 0% with EWS<5 (p<0.01). EWS≥8 was associated with longer LOS, higher readmission rate, and more transfusions. For the composite, the area under the ROC curve was 0.89 (95% CI 0.84-0.94). EWS≥5 had 100% sensitivity and 56.2% specificity for the primary outcome; EWS≥8 had 56.0% sensitivity and 92.5% specificity for the primary outcome. CONCLUSIONS: EWS≥5 after laparotomy is associated with adverse outcomes. Future studies should evaluate the ability of EWS to predict and prevent these outcomes.

Diabetes mellitus and ovarian cancer: more complex than just increasing risk.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for endometrial cancer and is associated with poorer outcomes in breast and colon cancers. This association is less clear in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We sought to examine the effect of DM on progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in women with EOC. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of EOC patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2009 at a single institution was performed. Demographic, pathologic and DM diagnosis data were abstracted. Pearson chi-square test and t test were used to compare variables. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log rank test were used to compare PFS and OS between non-diabetic (ND) and DM patients. RESULTS: 62 (17%) of 367 patients had a diagnosis of DM. No differences in age, histology, debulking status, or administration of intraperitoneal chemotherapy between ND and DM patients were present, although there were more stage I and IV patients in the ND group (p=0.04). BMI was significantly different between the two groups (ND vs. DM, 27.5 vs. 30.7kg/m(2), p<0.001). While there were no differences in survival based on BMI, diabetic patients had a poorer PFS (10.3 vs. 16.3months, p=0.024) and OS (26.1 vs. 42.2months, p=0.005) compared to ND patients. Metformin use among diabetic patients did not appear to affect PFS or OS. CONCLUSIONS: EOC patients with DM have poorer survival than patients without diabetes; this association is independent of obesity. Metformin use did not affect outcomes. The pathophysiology of this observation requires more inquiry.