Environmental sustainability in obstetrics and gynaecology: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The healthcare sector is responsible for 4%-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Considering the broad range of care that obstetricians and gynaecologists provide, mitigation strategies within this specialty could result in significant reductions of the environmental footprint across the whole healthcare industry. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review was to identify for what services, procedures and products within obstetric and gynaecological care the environmental impact has been studied, to assess the magnitude of such impact and to identify mitigation strategies to diminish it. SEARCH STRATEGY: The search strategy combined terms related to environmental impact, sustainability, climate change or carbon footprint, with the field of obstetrics and gynaecology. SELECTION CRITERIA: Articles reporting on the environmental impact of any service, procedure or product within the field of obstetrics and gynaecology were included. Included outcomes covered midpoint impact categories, CO2 emissions, waste generation and energy consumption. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: A systematic literature search was conducted in the databases of MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid) and Scopus, and a grey literature search was performed on Google Scholar and two websites of gynaecological associations. MAIN RESULTS: The scope of the investigated studies encompassed vaginal births, obstetric and gynaecological surgical procedures, menstrual products, vaginal specula and transportation to gynaecological oncologic consultations. Among the highest yielding mitigation strategies were displacing disposable with reusable materials and minimising content of surgical custom packs. The lowest yielding mitigation strategy was waste optimisation, including recycling. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review highlights opportunities for obstetricians and gynaecologists to decrease their environmental footprint in many ways. More high-quality studies are needed to investigate the environmental impact of other aspects of women's and reproductive health care.

What Does a Pregnancy Loss Mean for Sex? Comparing Sexual Well-Being Between Couples With and Without a Recent Loss.

It is unclear whether sexual well-being, which is an important part of individual and relational health, may be at risk for declines after a pregnancy loss given the limits of prior work. Accordingly, in a cross-sectional study, we used structural equation modeling to (1) compare sexual well-being levels-satisfaction, desire, function, distress, and frequency-of both partners in couples who had experienced a pregnancy loss in the past four months (N = 103 couples) to their counterparts in a control sample of couples with no history of pregnancy loss (N = 120 couples), and (2) compare sexual well-being levels of each member of a couple to one another. We found that gestational individuals and their partners in the pregnancy loss sample were less sexually satisfied than their control counterparts but did not differ in sexual desire, problems with sexual function, nor sexual frequency. Surprisingly, we found that partners of gestational individuals had less sexual distress than their control counterparts. In the pregnancy loss sample, gestational individuals had lower levels of sexual desire post-loss than their partners but did not differ in sexual satisfaction, problems with sexual function, nor sexual distress. Our results provide evidence that a recent pregnancy loss is associated with lower sexual satisfaction and greater differences between partners in sexual desire, which may be useful information for clinicians working with couples post-loss. Practitioners can share these findings with couples who may find it reassuring that we did not find many aspects of sexual well-being to be related to pregnancy loss at about three months post-loss.

Harmonising green informed consent with autonomous clinical decision-making: a reply to Resnik and Pugh.

Resnik and Pugh recently explored the ethical implications of routinely integrating environmental concerns into clinical decision-making. While we share their concern for the holistic well-being of patients, our response offers a different clinical and bioethical stance on green informed consent and patient autonomy. Contrary to the authors' lack of data to support their concerns about provider and patient willingness to engage in climate-related conversations, we provide evidence supporting their sustainability engagement and stress the importance of a proactive, anticipatory approach in healthcare to align with evolving societal values. If climate change is perceived as a politicised issue, though it is not inherently so, healthcare providers are professionally trained to address sensitive subjects and have a duty to inform patients about potential health risks. Recognising the environmental crisis as a health crisis underscores the direct connection between environmental hazards and patients' well-being. Our perspective advocates for integrating individual considerations, societal responsibilities and systemic changes to promote environmentally sustainable healthcare.

Minimizing pain medication use and its associated costs following robotic surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been associated with diminished postoperative pain and analgesia requirements. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the use of analgesia in the post-operative period following robotic surgery for endometrial cancer. METHODS: All consecutive patients who underwent robotic surgery for the treatment of endometrial cancer were included in this study. The timing, dose, and type of analgesics administered postoperatively were recorded from patients' electronic medical record. Data was compared to a matched historical cohort of patients who underwent laparotomy before the introduction of the robotic program. RESULTS: Only eight patients (2.4%, 5 during the first 25 cases and 3 following mini-laparotomy) received patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) following robotic surgery. Most patients' pain was alleviated by over-the-counter analgesics (acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories). In comparison to laparotomy, patients who underwent robotic surgery required significantly less opioids (71mg vs. 12mg IV morphine, p<0.0001) and non-opioids (4810mg vs. 2151mg acetaminophen, 1892 vs. 377mg ibuprofen, and 1470mg vs. 393mg naproxen; all p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Patients require less analgesics (opioids and non-opioids) following robotic surgery in comparison to conventional laparotomy, including the elderly and the obese. The diminished pain medication use is associated with some cost savings.

Venous thromboembolism in hospitalized patients: an updated analysis of missed opportunities for thromboprophylaxis at a university-affiliated tertiary care center.

Thromboprophylaxis remains often underused in hospitalized patients. In 2001, a cohort study done at our institution, a tertiary care center in Montreal, Canada, showed that 67.7% of VTE cases necessitating thromboprophylaxis were potentially preventable with adequate use of American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines. Following implementation of an institution-wide policy in 2005, we assessed the changes in the rate of potentially preventable VTE. We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all hospitalized patients with objectively diagnosed VTE in 2010 at our institution. Each case was classified as preventable (thromboprophylaxis indicated but inadequately administered), non-preventable (thromboprophylaxis indicated and correctly administered), spontaneous (thromboprophylaxis not indicated), and ineligible (contraindication to thromboprophylaxis). The results were compared to those obtained in 2001. Of the 230 cases of VTE, 55 cases were classified as potentially preventable (23.9%), 85 were non-preventable (37.0%), 74 were spontaneous (32.2%) and 16 (7.0%) were ineligible. Of the 140 cases requiring thromboprophylaxis, 39.3% were potentially preventable. The potentially preventable cases were mostly due to omission of thromboprophylaxis (50.9%), occurred during general medical admissions (74.5%), and the most common VTE risk factor was cancer (47.2%). In conclusion, we demonstrate a lower frequency of potentially preventable cases in 2010 compared to 2001 (39.3% vs 67.7%, respectively), partially due to physician education and adoption of an institution-wide policy. However, patients with medical indications for thromboprophylaxis, particularly those with cancer, are more prone to having preventable VTE, indicating an area for potential improvement.

['Is there a doctor on board?' Reducing air travel associated with international medical conferences]. / 'Is er een dokter aan boord?'.

International medical conferences aim to improve health outcomes, but the associated air travel-related carbon emissions are a significant contributor to the environmental impact of medical scientific activities. The COVID-19 pandemic has urged the medical world to shift towards virtual conferences, decreasing associated carbon emissions by 94% to 99%. However, virtual conferences are still not the norm and doctors are returning to business as usual. Various stakeholders need to be mobilized to minimize carbon-intensive flights to conferences. Doctors, (academic) hospitals, conference organizers and universities all hold a responsibility to incorporate every effort to decarbonize and build climate mitigation into their decisions. These efforts include sustainable travel policies, selecting accessible venues, decentralizing host locations, encouraging low carbon alternatives to air travel, increasing virtual attendance and increasing awareness.

[Seizures in pregnancy: not always eclamptic seizures]. / Een insult tijdens de zwangerschap.

BACKGROUND: The differential diagnosis of seizures during pregnancy is extensive and includes potentially fatal underlying diagnoses. Both pregnancy and non-pregnancy related aetiologies should be considered. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 38-years old pregnant woman presented to the emergency department at 31 weeks and 5 days with generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Initial an eclamptic seizure was suspected. Because the seizures lasted despite treatment with magnesium sulphate and anti-epileptic medication. Imaging of the head was performed and a brain tumour was suspected and a biopsy revealed the presence of a high-grade glioma. At 37 weeks of gestation, labour was induced and the patient delivered a healthy daughter. The patient was then palliatively treated with antiepileptic drugs and chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Structural brain changes caused by a high-grade gliomas represent a rare cause of seizure during pregnancy, emphasizing the importance of considering non-obstetric causes of seizures in pregnant women.

Environmental Impact Assessment of Reusable and Disposable Surgical Head Covers.

This life cycle assessment compares the environmental footprint of reusable surgical head covers with single-use disposable surgical head covers.

Ethnic Differences in Health Literacy Among Young Adults in Amsterdam.

BACKGROUND: Ethnic differences in health commence early in life. Ethnic minority young adults have a greater prevalence of unhealthier lifestyles and poorer health outcomes than their peers. Variations in health literacy could contribute to these ethnic inequalities in health but have not yet been investigated in this group. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated ethnic differences in performance-based and self-reported health literacy in young adults and examined whether these differences are explained by educational level, language difficulties, or cultural distance. METHODS: Young adults (age 18-25 years) from Dutch, African Surinamese, South-Asian Surinamese, Ghanaian, Turkish, and Moroccan ethnic backgrounds (N = 2,215) participated in the HELIUS (HEalthy Life in an Urban Setting) study, a cohort study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Performance-based health literacy was measured by the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine in Dutch (REALM-D). Self-reported health literacy was measured by the Chew's Set of Brief Screening Questions (SBSQ). The association between ethnicity and health literacy, and the role of background characteristics was assessed by linear regression analyses. KEY RESULTS: Performance-based health literacy was low (REALM-D <60; range, 0-66) among 17% of the participants. After adjustment for educational level, average levels of REALM-D were lower among participants from a Ghanaian, Turkish, and Moroccan background than those from a Dutch background, whereas the two Surinamese groups did not differ from the Dutch group. Additional adjustment for language difficulties and cultural distance did not explain the differences between the five ethnic minority groups. Self-reported health literacy was low (SBSQ <3; range, 0-4) among 3% of the participants. There were no differences in levels of SBSQ between the ethnic minority groups and the Dutch group. CONCLUSIONS: We found ethnic differences in performance-based health literacy, which largely remained after adjustment for educational level. Further research is needed to gain insight into how young adults from different ethnic groups appraise and apply health information in various contexts. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2018;2(4):e192-e204.]. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: We investigated ethnic differences in health literacy among young adults (age 18-25 years) living in the Netherlands. Compared to the Dutch group, some ethnic minority groups scored lower on performance-based health literacy, independent of educational level. Self-reported health literacy did not differ between Dutch and ethnic minority groups.

Identifying orthopedic patients at high risk for venous thromboembolism despite thromboprophylaxis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) despite thromboprophylaxis in major orthopedic surgery patients at a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: Charts from consecutive patients who underwent total hip replacement (THR), total knee replacement (TKR), or hip fracture surgery (HFS) [hip pinning or hemiarthroplasty] from August 1, 1999, to April 30, 2000, at a large Canadian teaching hospital were abstracted using standardized case report forms. Data were collected on patient characteristics, surgical characteristics, and thromboprophylaxis regimen. Results of tests performed for suspected VTE were documented. Associations between characteristics of interest and objectively confirmed VTE were examined in multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Over the study period, 310 patients underwent major orthopedic surgery and received standard thromboprophylaxis with either dalteparin or enoxaparin (mean duration of prophylaxis, 7 days). Of these, 34% underwent THR, 30% underwent TKR, and 36% underwent HFS. Of 83 suspected cases of VTE, 44 cases (7 proximal and 37 distal deep venous thrombosis [DVT]); 14% of study population) were confirmed with objective testing. Multivariate analyses revealed that knee surgery (odds ratio [OR], 4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3 to 10.1) and type of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) [enoxaparin (more protective): OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.80] independently predicted VTE. No patient characteristics (including previous VTE, malignancy, hormonal therapy, postoperative complications) were associated with VTE. CONCLUSION: Despite standard thromboprophylaxis, symptomatic breakthrough VTE, primarily distal DVT, developed in 14% of patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery. Factors that independently predicted VTE in our population were TKR surgery and type of LMWH. TKR patients may warrant more aggressive postoperative physiotherapy and ambulation and adjunctive prophylactic measures such as pneumatic compression. Due to the heterogeneity of different LMWH compounds, direct comparison of the effectiveness of enoxaparin with dalteparin for orthopedic prophylaxis in prospective, randomized trials seems warranted.

Robotic radical hysterectomy: comparison of outcomes and cost.

Operative and peri-operative outcomes, complications, and cost for radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer with negative sentinel nodes have been compared for robotics and laparotomy. Forty patients underwent radical hysterectomy with/out bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, for early-stage cervical cancer. All cases were performed by one of two surgeons, at a single institution (16 robotic, 24 laparotomy). The data for the robotic group were collected prospectively and compared with data for a historic cohort who underwent laparotomy. The data included demographics and peri-operative variables including operative time, estimated blood loss, lymph node count, hospital stay, and complications. Additionally, real direct hospital cost was compared for both modalities. Patients undergoing robotic radical hysterectomy experienced longer operative time than the laparotomy cohort (351 min vs. 283 min P = 0.0001). Estimated blood loss was significantly lower for the robotic cohort than for the laparotomy cohort (106 ml vs. 546 ml P < 0.0001). The minor complication rate was lower in the robotic cohort than for laparotomy (19% vs. 63% P = 0.003). Average hospital stay for the robotic patients was significantly shorter than for those undergoing laparotomy (1.9 days versus 7.2 days, P < 0.0001). Lymph node retrieval did not differ between the two groups (robotic 15 nodes, laparotomy 13 nodes). The total average peri-operative costs for radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy completed via laparotomy was CAN $11,764 ± 6,790, and for robotic assistance 8,183 ± 1,089 (P = 0.002). When amortization of the robot was included, there remained a trend in favor of the robotic approach, but it did not reach statistical significance. Whereas robotics takes longer to perform than traditional laparotomy, it provides the patient with a shorter hospital stay, less need for pain medications, and reduced peri-operative morbidity. In addition real average hospital costs tend to be lower.