Postoperative infections after non-elective cesarean section - a retrospective cohort study of prevalence and risk factors at a single center in Denmark administering prophylactic antibiotics after cord clamping.

BACKGROUND: Mothers giving birth by non-elective cesarean section have considerably higher risk of developing postoperative infection, than mothers giving birth by elective cesarean section. Meta-analyses have shown that the risk of infection is reduced when administering antibiotics at least 30 min prior to skin incision rather than after cord clamping. If given prior to incision, antibiotics are present in the neonatal bloodstream for up to 24 h after delivery, with early exposure to antibiotics potentially disturbing development of the gut microbiome. We aimed to retrospectively assess the prevalence of postoperative infection after non-elective cesarean section at a single labor ward administering antibiotics after cord clamping, additionally investigating risk factors for developing postoperative infections. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we included a total of 2,725 women giving birth by non-elective cesarean section in 2010-2017 with a review of records for prenatal risk factors, labor management, and perinatal outcomes. The primary outcomes were a main composite infection of development of either endometritis, surgical-site infection, or sepsis in conjunction with a relevant antibiotic prescription. Secondary outcomes included infection of unknown focus, mastitis, urinary tract infection, and pneumonia. RESULTS: A total of 88 patients developed a main composite infection (3.2%). These infections subdivide into endometritis (n = 37/2725, 1.4%), surgical-site infection (n = 35/2725, 1.3%) and sepsis (n = 15/2725, 0.6%). We found a high body mass index (aOR = 3.38, 95%CI 1.93-5.92) and intrapartum fever (aOR = 2.26, 95%CI 1.22-4.59) to be independent risk-factors for developing postoperative infection after non-elective cesarean section. Furthermore, we found delivery by a more expedient emergency grade 2 cesarean section (aOR = 0.61 95%CI 0.37-0.998) compared to grade 3 to be a protective factor for developing postoperative infection after non-elective cesarean section. CONCLUSION: In a labor ward administering antibiotics after cord clamping at non-elective cesarean births, we find a low prevalence of main composite infections when compared to estimates from meta-analyses on the topic. We conclude that administration of prophylactic antibiotics after cord clamping appears to result in acceptable rates of postoperative infection and avoids transplacental-transmission of antibiotics to the infant.

Using machine learning to identify quality-of-care predictors for emergency caesarean sections: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Emergency caesarean sections (ECS) are time-sensitive procedures. Multiple factors may affect team efficiency but their relative importance remains unknown. This study aimed to identify the most important predictors contributing to quality of care during ECS in terms of the arrival-to-delivery interval. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. ECS were classified by urgency using emergency categories one/two and three (delivery within 30 and 60 min). In total, 92 predictor variables were included in the analysis and grouped as follows: 'Maternal objective', 'Maternal psychological', 'Fetal factors', 'ECS Indication', 'Emergency category', 'Type of anaesthesia', 'Team member qualifications and experience' and 'Procedural'. Data was analysed with a linear regression model using elastic net regularisation and jackknife technique to improve generalisability. The relative influence of the predictors, percentage significant predictor weight (PSPW) was calculated for each predictor to visualise the main determinants of arrival-to-delivery interval. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Patient records for mothers undergoing ECS between 2010 and 2017, Nordsjællands Hospital, Capital Region of Denmark. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Arrival-to-delivery interval during ECS. RESULTS: Data was obtained from 2409 patient records for women undergoing ECS. The group of predictors representing 'Team member qualifications and experience' was the most important predictor of arrival-to-delivery interval in all ECS emergency categories (PSPW 25.9% for ECS category one/two; PSPW 35.5% for ECS category three). In ECS category one/two the 'Indication for ECS' was the second most important predictor group (PSPW 24.9%). In ECS category three, the second most important predictor group was 'Maternal objective predictors' (PSPW 24.2%). CONCLUSION: This study provides empirical evidence for the importance of team member qualifications and experience relative to other predictors of arrival-to-delivery during ECS. Machine learning provides a promising method for expanding our current knowledge about the relative importance of different factors in predicting outcomes of complex obstetric events.

Reduction in maternal mortality in Denmark over three decades.

INTRODUCTION: Women very rarely die during pregnancy and childbirth in Denmark. Although maternal deaths are registered worldwide, various studies indicate that underreporting does occur. This paper presents validated Danish register data for two periods between 1985 and 2017. METHODS: Maternal deaths were identified from 1985 to 1994 and from 2002 to 2017 by linking four national health registers, death certificates and notifications from maternity wards. A group of obstetricians categorised and assessed all medical records, classifying each case by cause of death. RESULTS: Linkage of four registers yielded valid data, leading to the identification of 143 maternal deaths in the abovementioned periods. From 1985-1994 there were 73 deaths and 618,021 live births, resulting in a maternal mortality rate of 11.8 per 100,000 live births with a non-significant 2% annual increase (95% confidence interval (CI): -6.0-11.0%). From 2002 to 2017 there were 70 maternal deaths and 999,206 live births, resulting in a maternal mortality rate of 7.0 per 100,000 live births (95% CI: 5.5-8.9) with a significant 9% annual decrease (95% CI: 4.0-14.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Overall maternal mortality decreased in the course of the two periods (n = 33 years), with a significant decrease during the last period. This is suggested to be a result of multiple clinical and organisational improvements as discussed in the paper. FUNDING: none. TRIAL REGISTRATION: not relevant.

Making the best of the worst: Care quality during emergency cesarean sections.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify factors influencing mothers' and their partners' perceptions of care quality, and to identify associated clinical factors. METHODS: Questionnaires were developed based on eight interviews with couples after emergency Cesarean Sections (ECS). The internal structure of the questionnaires was examined using Rasch analysis. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to evaluate internal consistency of questionnaire items. Finally, associations between questionnaire scores and ECS characteristics were determined. RESULTS: Thematic analysis of interview data demonstrated that team-dynamics, professionalism, information, safety, leadership and mother-child continuity of care are important to patient- perceived quality of care. Questionnaire responses from 119 women and 95 partners were included in the validation and demonstrated satisfying fit to the Rasch model. The questionnaires had acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha 0.8 and 0.7 for mothers and partners, respectively. Perceived quality of care was negatively associated with increasing urgency of the CS. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were -0.34 (p <0.001) and -0.32 (p = 0.004) for mothers and partners, respectively. Perceived quality of care differed significantly across CS indications for both mothers (p = 0.0006) and their partners (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Team-dynamics, professionalism, information, safety, leadership and mother-child-continuity affect patients' perceptions of care. Perceptions of care were highly influenced by CS indications and urgency.

Social ties between team members affect patient satisfaction: a data-driven approach to handling complex network analyses.

Research from outside the medical field suggests that social ties between team-members influence knowledge sharing, improve coordination, and facilitate task completion. However, the relative importance of social ties among team-members for patient satisfaction remains unknown. In this study, we explored the association between social ties within emergency teams performing simulated caesarean sections (CS) and patient-actor satisfaction. Two hundred seventy-two participants were allocated to 33 teams performing two emergency CSs in a simulated setting. We collected data on social ties between team-members, measured as affective, personal and professional ties. Ties were rated on 5-point Likert scales. In addition, participants' clinical experience, demographic data and their knowledge about team members' roles were surveyed. Perceived patient satisfaction was measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Data was analysed with a linear regression model using elastic net regularization. In total, 109 predictor variables were analysed including 84 related to social ties and 25 related to clinical experience, demographics and knowledge test scores. Of the 84 variables reflecting social ties, 34 (41%) had significant association with patient satisfaction, p < 0.01. By contrast, a significant association with patient satisfaction was found for only one (4%) of the 25 variables reflecting clinical experience, demographics and knowledge of team roles. Affective ties and personal ties were found to be far more important predictors in the statistical model than professional ties and predictors relating to clinical experience. Social ties between emergency team members may be important predictors of patient satisfaction. The results from this study help to enhance our conceptual understanding of social ties and their implications for team-dynamics. Our study challenges existing views of team-performance by placing emphasis on achieving collective competence through affective and personal social ties, rather than focusing on traditional measures of expertise.

[Medical students' evaluation of clinical departments can help low score departments to improve their effort].

Development of professional identity is essential for medical students to become good doctors. Introduction to the clinical setting, role models, reflection, structure, learning strategy and inclusion in community of practice are important factors. Four observations and 15 interviews were made and revealed big differences in educational practice in four different clinical departments. The departments with low evaluation scores need to improve their practice. Individual guidance inside the department, which adjusts for medical specialty, potentials and challenges, could initiate future progress.

Maternal mortality in Denmark, 1985-1994.

OBJECTIVES: In Denmark, maternal mortality has been reported over the last century, both locally through hospital reports and in national registries. The purpose of this study was to analyze data from national medical registries of pregnancy-related deaths in Denmark 1985-1994 and to classify them according to the UK Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths (CEMD). STUDY DESIGN: All deaths of women with a registered pregnancy within 12 months prior to the death were identified by comparing the Danish medical registries, death certificates, and relevant codes according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). All cases were classified using the UK CEMD classification. Cases of maternal death were further evaluated by an audit group. RESULTS: 311 cases were classified. 92 deaths (29.6%) occurred 42 days), 1 woman died from a direct obstetric cause, 46 from indirect causes, and 172 from fortuitous causes. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were the major cause of direct maternal deaths. The rate of maternal deaths constituted 9.8/100,000 maternities (i.e. the number of women delivering registrable live births at any gestation or stillbirths at 24 weeks of gestation or later). CONCLUSION: This is the first systematic report on deaths in Denmark based on data from national registries. The maternal mortality rate in Denmark is comparable to the rates in other developed countries. Fortunately, statistics are low, but each case represents potential learning. Obstetric care has changed and classification methods differ between countries. Prospective registration and registry linkage seem to be a way to ensure completion. This retrospective study has provided the background for a prospective study on registration and evaluation of maternal mortality in Denmark.

Prevalence of polyhydramnios at a Danish hospital--a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of polyhydramnios, the related maternal and perinatal morbidity, and to estimate the association between perinatal outcome and the degree of polyhydramnios in a Danish population. METHODS: The study population consisted of 168 women with singleton pregnancies and polyhydramnios diagnosed by ultrasound as a largest two-diameter pocket of > 50 cm2. Mild polyhydramnios defined as > 50 and < 100 cm2, and severe polyhydramnios defined as > or = 100 cm2. The background population consisted of 8,347 pregnant women from the same hospital. Outcome measures were compared using chi2 test or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The incidence of polyhydramnios was 2%, with 66.7% of cases mild, and 33.3% were severe polyhydramnios. The study population had an increased risk of emergency (19 versus 10.5%, p<0.001) and elective (11.3 versus 5.0%, p<0.001) caesarean section, as well as perinatal death (1.2 versus 0.3%, p<0.05) compared to the background population. In cases of severe polyhydramnios, there was an increased risk of caesarean section (44.6 versus 23.1%, p<0.005), birth weight > 4,000 g (28.6 versus 14.3%, p<0.05), and need for neonatal care (8.9 versus 0.9%, p<0.01) compared to mild cases. Apgar score < 7, perinatal death and structural malformations only occurred in women with severe polyhydramnios. CONCLUSION: It is reasonable to distinguish between mild and severe polyhydramnios regarding special attention and follow-up, as caesarean section and perinatal morbidity and mortality are related to the degree of polyhydramnios. A two-diameter pocket > or = 100 cm2 could be used to separate mild from severe cases.

Smoking is a risk factor for recurrence of groin hernia.

Studies of connective tissue from patients with inguinal hernia have shown that smoking may be associated with hernia formation due to a defective connective tissue metabolism. Whether smoking is a risk factor for recurrence, too, was examined in this study. From December 1990 through December 1995, 649 patients underwent hernia repair as open sutured repair (Cooper ligament or abdominal ring repair) or as open mesh repair. Five hundred forty-four eligible patients were evaluated for recurrence 2 years postoperatively. Association between recurrence and 17 patient-, disease-, and intraoperative variables were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. The results showed that smoking was significantly and independently associated with recurrence compared to nonsmoking [odds ratio (OR = 2.22; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.19-4.15)]. Open sutured repair compared to open mesh repair was the most significant predictor for recurrence (OR = 7.23; 95% CI = 3.01-17.37). Surprisingly, local anesthesia was associated with a higher risk of recurrence compared to general anesthesia (OR = 2.44; 95% CI = 1.19-5.09). Potential confounders and other risk factors for hernia recurrence such as age, alcohol consumption, previous surgery, and anatomical characteristics of the hernia were adjusted for in the analysis. In conclusion, smoking is an important risk factor for recurrence of groin hernia, presumably due to an abnormal connective tissue metabolism in smokers.