Periviability: A Review of Key Concepts and Management for Perinatal Nursing.

One of the most complex clinical problems in obstetrics and neonatology is caring for pregnant women at the threshold of viability. Births near viability boundaries are grave events that carry a high prevalence of neonatal death or an increased potential for severe lifelong complications and disabilities among those who survive. Compared with several decades ago, premature infants receiving neonatal care by today's standards have better outcomes than those born in other eras. However, preterm labor at periviability represents a more complex counseling and management challenge. Although preterm birth incidence between 20/7 and 25/7 weeks has remained unchanged, survival rates at earlier gestational ages have increased as perinatal and neonatal specialties have become more adept at caring for this at-risk population. Women face difficult choices about obstetric and neonatal interventions in light of uncertainties around survival and outcomes. This article reviews current neonatal statistics in reference to short- and long-term outcomes, key concepts in obstetric clinical management of an anticipated periviable birth, and counseling guidance to ensure shared-decision making.

Pulmonary Edema in Obstetrics: Essential Facts for Critical Care Nurses.

Pulmonary edema is an acute pregnancy complication that, if uncorrected, can result in increased maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Although pulmonary edema is relatively rare in the general obstetrics population, pregnant patients are at increased risk for pulmonary edema because of the physiologic changes of pregnancy. The risk may be exacerbated by certain pregnancy-related diseases, such as preeclampsia. Prompt identification and appropriate clinical management of pulmonary complications is critical to prevent adverse outcomes in pregnant patients. This article reviews the collaborative treatment of pulmonary edema in pregnant women with complex critical illnesses.

A Standardized Approach to Electronic Fetal Monitoring in Critical Care Obstetrics.

From the periphery, pregnancy is a common event in women of childbearing age. Normal anatomic and physiologic adaptations occur and, in most cases, will result in ideal maternal-fetal outcomes. Yet, every day, obstetric clinicians are facing complex pregnancies with complicated life-threatening conditions or coexisting medical and surgical problems that not only alter maternal physiology but also impact fetal survival. A challenge in this population is individualizing maternal-fetal care in critical care women while integrating medical-surgical specialties in creating an interdisciplinary team with similar management goals. Questions frequently arise concerning admission criteria, location of care, as well as type and mix of personnel. Furthermore, how to simultaneously manage a critically ill parturient while monitoring a viable fetus is often obscured. This article focuses on crucial fetal monitoring concepts using a standardized approach to interpretation and management in pregnancies managed in an intensive care environment. Application of fetal monitoring during surgical procedures, during perimortem cesarean birth, and in women who have irreversible loss of brain function is included.

Electronic Fetal Monitoring Documentation: Connecting Points for Quality Care and Communication.

Contemporaneous, complete, and objective documentation is the foundation for continuity of patient care and facilitates communication between all levels of healthcare clinicians. The impact of electronic fetal monitoring on obstetric safety has become a high priority, with documentation being essential to evaluating care quality. Over several decades, electronic fetal monitoring documentation has reached a higher level of precision because paper is being replaced with health information technology that incorporates system's features such as checklists, drop-down boxes, and decision analysis. The intent of this article is to provide a synopsis of important concepts regarding electronic fetal monitoring documentation and liability-reduction strategies for perinatal nurses.

Perinatal Nurses Reported to Boards of Nursing: Understanding the Facts.

Today's healthcare system is in a state of transformation, as changes in technology, diagnostic approaches, treatments, and levels of professional practice occur on a regular basis. Nurses continue to be the most trusted profession. What has not changed in clinical practice is the amount of responsibility and level of accountability. Therefore, nurses are morally, legally, and ethically responsible for nursing judgment and clinical-based actions covered under each state's Nurse Practice Act, the American Nurses Association's core principles, and position statements as well as standard setting documents from professional organizations. Unfortunately, mistakes happen in an enormous system where human error cannot be entirely avoided, which is why being named in a board of nursing complaint can be so devastating. Stress and accusations of not providing reasonable or prudent care can be overwhelming, which may impact a perinatal clinician's health. This article's purpose is to provide information about the process of a board of nursing complaint, potential sequelae of an investigation, as well as best practices to decrease risk, focusing exclusively on perinatal nurses and advanced practice providers.

Cesarean Birth: A Journey in Historical Trends.

Thirty years ago seems like yesterday: a time of immense socioeconomic changes, explosion of an "Internet" computer concept, and identification of human immunodeficiency virus. Like all events of the past, transformations in obstetrics developed over time. Cesarean birth can be better understood in a broader context when one considers how the art of obstetric practice has evolved. Cesarean birth progressed from delivering a fetus perimortem or postmortem to a time of operative births that simultaneously juggle a woman's safety, satisfaction, and freedom of choice concerning birth options. Thirty years of increasing cesarean birth rates have prompted government agencies, national organizations, state-level perinatal collaborative groups, and experts to address these rates and the impact on maternal-child health and healthcare systems. The purpose of this article is to explain cesarean birth's remarkable impact on obstetrics by reviewing key historical periods, current advances, and upcoming trends.