Racial and ethnic disparities in eligibility for postpartum venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Postpartum venous thromboembolism (VTE) incidence differs by race and ethnicity in the United States. However, it is unclear whether the eligibility criteria for postpartum VTE prophylaxis mirror this disparity. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the prevalence of risk factors and eligibility for postpartum VTE prophylaxis, among US Birthing people, stratified by race and ethnicity. METHODS: We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample from October 2015 to December 2019, using diagnosis and procedure codes to identify postpartum individuals and their VTE risk factors. We compared proportion of delivery hospitalizations meeting eligibility for thromboprophylaxis stratified by race or ethnicity, according to American College of Gynecology and Obstetrics, American College of Chest Physicians, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG), and American Society for Hematology guidelines. RESULTS: Among a national estimate of 14 967 861 delivery hospitalizations in the United States, the proportion of individuals eligible for thromboprophylaxis using the RCOG, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and American Society for Hematology guidelines were 32.9%, 8.0%, 0.2%, and 0.2%, respectively. Using the RCOG criteria, non-Hispanic Black individuals had the highest proportion of thromboprophylaxis eligibility (39.7%), whereas it was lowest among Hispanic individuals (30.8%). Racial disparities in thromboprophylaxis eligibility were driven by differences in clinical risk factors (38.8% non-Hispanic Black population vs 30.5% Hispanic population) and cesarean section rates (35.9% vs 32.2%), rather than history of VTE (0.3% vs 0.1%), inherited thrombophilia (0.2% vs 0.2%), or sickle cell disease (0.4% vs <0.1%). CONCLUSION: Non-Hispanic Black individuals were most likely to qualify for postpartum thromboprophylaxis, attributable to clinical risk factors rather than inherited risk factors. An urgent need exists to better understand ethno-racial disparities in thromboprophylaxis use and to equitably address modifiable risk factors for postpartum VTE.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes in patients with hepatitis C and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: The sum of the parts.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis C virus and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) are well-known independent risk factors for adverse outcomes in pregnancy. In addition, it is well-established that there is an association between Hepatitis C and ICP. This study's objective was to describe the impact of having both Hepatitis C and ICP on maternal and obstetric outcomes compared to patients having either Hepatitis C or ICP. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the Nationwide Readmissions Database, an all-payor sample of discharges from approximately 60% of US hospitalizations. Deliveries at 24-42+ weeks between 10/2015 and 12/2020 were included. Diagnosis of Hepatitis C and ICP, and outcomes related to severe maternal morbidity were identified using International Classification of Disease-10 codes. Patients were categorized based on Hepatitis C and ICP status. Weighted logistic and negative binomial regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between Hepatitis C and ICP status and outcomes, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics. The primary outcome was any severe maternal morbidity; secondary outcomes included acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, sepsis, gestational diabetes, cesarean delivery, preterm birth, and hospital length of stay. We modeled interaction terms between ICP and Hepatitis C to assess whether there was a greater or lesser effect from having both conditions on outcomes than we would expect from additive combination of the individual components (i.e., synergy or antagonism). RESULTS: A total of 10,040,850 deliveries between 24-42+ weeks were identified. Of these, 45,368 had Hepatitis C only; 84,582 had ICP only; and 1,967 had both Hepatitis C and ICP. Patients with both Hepatitis C and ICP had 1.5-fold higher odds of developing severe maternal morbidity compared to having neither. There was an also an increased odds of severe maternal morbidity in patients with both Hepatitis C and ICP compared to patients with only Hepatitis C or ICP. Having both was also associated with higher odds of preterm birth and length of stay compared to having only Hepatitis C, only ICP, or neither (preterm birth: aOR 5.09, 95% CI 4.87-5.33 vs. neither; length of stay: 46% mean increase, 95% CI 35-58% vs. neither). Associations were additive-no significant interactions between hepatitis C and cholestasis were found on rates of severe maternal morbidity, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, sepsis, cesarean section, or preterm birth (all p>0.05), and was minimal for gestational diabetes and length of stay. CONCLUSION: Hepatitis C and ICP are independent, additive risk factors for adverse maternal and obstetric outcomes. Despite physiologic plausibility, no evidence of a synergistic effect of these two diagnoses on outcomes was noted. These data may be useful in counseling patients regarding their increased risk of adverse outcomes when ICP presents in association with Hepatitis C versus ICP alone.

High rates of venous thromboembolism among deliveries complicated by cancer.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk is increased independently by both cancer and pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: To estimate VTE risk in the postpartum period among patients delivering with a cancer diagnosis, stratified by cancer type and delivery route. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study utilizing the large, all-payer Nationwide Readmissions Database from October 2015 through December 2020. We identified delivery hospitalizations, cancer diagnoses, and VTE using patient demographics and diagnosis codes. The primary outcome was VTE incidence at 42 and 330 days from delivery admission date, comparing patients with and without cancer diagnoses. A secondary analysis included VTE risk stratified by cancer diagnosis and delivery route. Outcomes were compared using inverse probability-weighted survival curves. RESULTS: The study population included 9 793 503 delivery hospitalizations (weighted estimate, 18 207 346), with a weighted estimate of 10 428 (0.06%) pregnant patients with cancer. Individuals with cancer were older, with higher rates of comorbid conditions, than those without cancer. VTE incidence in individuals with cancer at 42 and 330 days was 1.11% and 2.19%, respectively, vs 0.11% and 0.14%, respectively, in those without cancer. At 330 days, this finding was significant in both unadjusted (relative risk, 15.52; 95% CI, 11.54-19.51) and adjusted (relative risk, 9.68; 95% CI, 7.18-12.18) models. Stratification by cancer type and delivery route demonstrated elevated VTE risk across cancer types, with cesarean delivery conferring a greater risk. CONCLUSION: Cancer in pregnancy confers excess thromboembolic risk extending beyond the immediate postpartum period. Further study is needed to identify optimal VTE prophylactic strategies for this population.

Risk of stillbirth in United States patients with diagnosed intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is associated with a 4- to 10-fold increase in the risk of stillbirth in the absence of intervention, leading to recommendations for antenatal assessment, ursodiol use, and often preterm or early term delivery. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether current management strategies for intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy mitigate the elevated risk of stillbirth at a population level. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study using the 2015-2020 National Readmissions Database, an administrative database developed by the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Our study identified delivery hospitalizations, gestational age at delivery, occurrence of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and stillbirth, and comorbid conditions using the International Classification of Diseases diagnosis and procedure codes. Moreover, this study compared the timing of delivery and stillbirth rates of pregnant patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy vs those without intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy at the time of delivery hospitalization. RESULTS: This study identified a cohort of 9,987,705 delivery hospitalizations in the National Readmissions Database, corresponding to a weighted national estimate of 18,609,207 births. Of these births, 152,040 (0.8%) were noted to have an intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy diagnosis. Patients with an intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy diagnosis were older, with small differences in comorbidities, such as a higher rate of gestational diabetes mellitus, than patients without an intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy diagnosis at delivery hospitalization. The overall rates of stillbirth were lower among those with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy than among those without intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (252 vs 386 per 100,000 deliveries; risk difference, 133 fewer per 100,000 deliveries; 95% confidence interval, 98-170), a finding that persisted after adjustment for insurance status, socioeconomic factors, and comorbid conditions (risk difference, 160 fewer stillbirths per 100,000 deliveries; 95% confidence interval, 127-194). Furthermore, although patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy were more likely to deliver before term than those without intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (30.1% vs 9.3%; P<.001), increased rates of stillbirth were not noted at any point after stratification of the cohort by gestational age at delivery. CONCLUSION: Patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy diagnosis codes delivered earlier than those without intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy diagnosis codes, but the percentage of births affected by stillbirth was lower, even when stratifying for gestational age at birth. These results may provide reassurance to patients receiving an intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy diagnosis that current management does mitigate stillbirth risk in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.