Use of wind-up fetal Doppler versus Pinard for fetal heart rate intermittent monitoring in labour: a randomised clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: In resource-poor settings, the standard of care to inform labour management is the partograph plus Pinard stethoscope for intermittent fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring. We compared FHR monitoring in labour using a novel, robust wind-up handheld Doppler with the Pinard as a primary screening tool for abnormal FHR on perinatal outcomes. DESIGN: Prospective equally randomised clinical trial. SETTING: The labour and delivery unit of a teaching hospital in Kampala, Uganda. PARTICIPANTS: Of the 2042 eligible antenatal women, 1971 women in active term labour, following uncomplicated pregnancies, were randomised to either the standard of care or not. INTERVENTION: Intermittent FHR monitoring using Doppler. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of FHR abnormality detection, intrapartum stillbirth and neonatal mortality prior to discharge. RESULTS: Age, parity, gestational age, mode of delivery and newborn weight were similar between study groups. In the Doppler group, there was a significantly higher rate of FHR abnormalities detected (incidence rate ratio (IRR)=1.61, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.30). However, in this group, there were also higher though not statistically significant rates of intrapartum stillbirths (IRR=3.94, 0.44 to 35.24) and neonatal deaths (IRR=1.38, 0.44 to 4.34). CONCLUSIONS: Routine monitoring with a handheld Doppler increased the identification of FHR abnormalities in labour; however, our trial did not find evidence that this leads to a decrease in the incidence of intrapartum stillbirth or neonatal death. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Clinical Trails.gov (1000031587).

Periodontal disease and perinatal outcomes: a case-control study.

AIM: Our aim was to measure the association of maternal periodontitis with low birth weight (LBW), pre-term LBW, and intra-uterine growth restriction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An inclusive case-control design including subjects examined for periodontitis through attachment loss, information on perinatal outcomes and general health. Data were analysed through conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Cases (n=304) and controls (n=611) had similar prevalence and severity of periodontitis, defined as at least three sites, in different teeth, with loss of three or more millimetres of clinical attachment level. Several factors were associated with the outcome, but the crude odds ratio for periodontitis was not significant. Odds ratio were 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63-1.41] for LBW and 0.92 (95% CI:0.54-1.57) for pre-term LBW in the presence of periodontitis, after adjustment for maternal age, previous pregnancies, pre-natal care, smoking, previous low birth or premature birth and other medical conditions, on a hierarchical model. CONCLUSIONS: Results do not support the hypothesis of association observed in previous studies after appropriate controlling for confounding variables. Negative peri-natal outcomes are better explained by determinants other than periodontal health. This study adds to the growing body of literature on the relationship between periodontal diseases and systemic health.