Abdomino-pelvic packing revisited: An often forgotten technique for managing intractable venous obstetric haemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Surgical packing should not be seen as a 'bail out' for the less skilled obstetrician who is unable to control obstetric haemorrhage using conventional techniques. Rather, this should be considered in cases of coagulopathy or where haemorrhage persists from raw surfaces, venous plexuses and inaccessible areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from seven women who underwent abdomino-pelvic packing for intractable postpartum bleeding were collected. The primary outcome was success of intra-abdominal packing and secondary outcomes included estimated blood loss, units transfused, length of stay and postoperative complications. RESULTS: All seven women (median age 39 years, interquartile range (IQR) 3.25) had caesarean section deliveries with median estimated blood loss of 5521.4 mL (IQR 4475) and median of 6.9 (IQR 4.75) units transfused. Abdomino-pelvic packing was successful in all cases including in three women who had continued bleeding after peripartum hysterectomy. In the remaining four, bleeding stopped with packing, enabling the uterus to be conserved. The median number of packs inserted was 6.1 (IQR 4.2) and median shock index at time of decision to pack was 0.98 (IQR 0.13). The median pack dwell time was 30.8 h (IQR 24), while median length of stay following removal was 48 h (IQR 2.14). CONCLUSION: Intractable bleeding in these seven cases was successfully controlled by abdomino-pelvic packing, allowing supportive correction of hypothermia, tissue acidosis, coagulopathy and hypovolemia. The technique of packing is an essential skill in managing massive obstetric haemorrhage, in addition to uterine balloon tamponade, compression sutures and peripartum hysterectomy.

Correlation of IVF outcomes and number of oocytes retrieved: a UK retrospective longitudinal observational study of 172 341 non-donor cycles.

OBJECTIVE: How do numbers of oocytes retrieved per In vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycle impact on the live birth rate (LBR) and multiple gestation pregnancy (MGP) rates? DESIGN: Retrospective observational longitudinal study. SETTING: UK IVF clinics. POPULATION: Non-donor IVF patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: LBR per IVF cycle and MGP levels against number of oocytes retrieved into subgroups: 0, 1-5, 6-15, 16-25, 26-49 oocytes and 50+ oocytes. Relative risk (RR) and 95% CIs were calculated for each group against the intermediate responder with '6-15 oocytes collected'. RESULTS: From 172 341 attempted fresh oocyte retrieval cycles, the oocyte retrieved was: 0 in 10 148 (5.9%) cycles from 9439 patients; 1-5 oocytes in 42 574 cycles (24.7%); 6-15 oocytes in 91 797 cycles (53.3%); 16-25 oocytes in 23 794 cycles (13.8%); 26-49 oocytes in 3970 cycles (2.3%); ≥50 oocytes in 58 cycles (0.033%). The LBRs for the 1-5, 6-15, 16-25 and 26-49 subgroups of oocytes retrieved were 17.2%, 32.4%, 35.3% and 18.7%, respectively. The RR (95% CI) of live birth in comparison to the intermediate group (6-15) for 1-5, 16-25 and 26-49 groups was 0.53 (0.52 to 0.54), 1.09 (1.07 to 1.11) and 0.58 (0.54 to 0.62), respectively. The corresponding MGP rates and RR were 9.2%, 11.0%, 11.4% and 11.3%, respectively and 0.83 (0.77 to 0.90), 1.04 (0.97 to 1.11) and 1.03 (0.84 to 1.26), respectively. CONCLUSION: There was only limited benefit in LBR beyond the 6-15 oocyte group going to the 16-25 oocytes group, after which there was significant decline in LBR. The MGP risk was lower in 1-5 group.

Women who decline blood during labour: Review of findings and lessons learnt from 52 years of Confidential Enquiries into maternal mortality in the United Kingdom (1962-2019).

OBJECTIVE: Patients who decline blood products because of their religious beliefs pose a unique challenge in the context of obstetric haemorrhage. Four large series assessing maternal outcomes in Jehovah's Witnesses from USA, UK, Netherlands and Japan estimate that maternal mortality is increased by between 44 and 160-fold. A review of maternal deaths from obstetric haemorrhage was undertaken in mothers who decline blood transfusion, using UK Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths reports (1967-2019) in order to identify common trends and lessons learnt. DESIGN: Retrospective review using 18 triennial Confidential Enquiries in Maternal Deaths reports between 1967 and 2019. RESULTS: Fifteen maternal deaths from haemorrhage were reported in patients who declined blood products for religious beliefs in the 52 years reviewed. Common themes noted included delay in senior escalation, hesitation to perform life-saving hysterectomy and loss of situational awareness. Placental abruptions (3/15) and curettage for secondary postpartum haemorrhage (2/15) especially warrant senior input and cooperation with Jehovah's Witness Hospital Liaison Committees is recommended. CONCLUSIONS: Guidelines from the UK's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Royal College of Surgeons highlight the need for collaborative, Montgomery-competent discussions during the antenatal period, as well as the engagement of local Jehovah's Witness Hospital Liaison committees. Consultant-led care, antenatal optimisation of haemoglobin and techniques to mitigate blood loss at delivery are paramount. We advocate using a lower threshold for hysterectomy than was used in the cases analysed, for example when the haemoglobin level drops below 8-9 g/l in the context of ongoing bleeding. As patients increasingly begin to decline blood products for non-religious reasons, the lessons learnt in the management of Jehovah's Witnesses are becoming ever more relevant.

Immune Responses Following BCG Immunization of Infants in Uganda and United Kingdom Are Similar for Purified Protein Derivative but Differ for Secretory Proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Introduction: The immunogenicity of BCG vaccination in infants differs between populations. We hypothesized that prenatal exposure to mycobacterial antigens might explain the differences in immune responses to BCG seen in other studies of infants in Africa and the United Kingdom (UK) and we explored this in birth cohorts in Uganda and the UK. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were obtained from BCG-immunized infants of mothers with (n = 110) and without (n = 121) latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in Uganda and BCG-immunized infants of mothers without LTBI (n = 25) in the UK at 10 and 52 weeks after birth. Cytokine and chemokine responses to PPD were measured to assess responses to BCG immunization, and to ESAT6/CFP10 to assess exposure to or infection with M. tuberculosis or non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in 6-day whole blood culture supernatants by a 17-plex Luminex assay. Median responses were compared between Ugandan infants (together, and separated by maternal LTBI status) and UK infants. Results: The IFN-γ response to BCG vaccination was similar between Ugandan and UK infants at 10 and 52 weeks. At week 52, TNF production was marginally higher in Ugandan infants, but after adjusting for multiple comparisons this difference was not significant. At weeks 10 and 52, stimulation of blood with ESAT6/CFP10 produced significantly higher IFN-γ, TNF, IL-12p40, IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-1Ra, IP-10, MIP-1α, MIP-1ß, and GM-CSF in Ugandan compared to UK infants. Stimulation of blood with ESAT6/CFP10 produced significantly higher amounts of IL-8 (p = 0.0001), IL-10 (p = 0.0022), and IL-13 (p = 0.0020) in the UK than in Ugandan infants of mothers without LTBI at week 10, but not at week 52. Conclusions: Immune responses to mycobacterial antigens following BCG immunization are similar for PPD, but differ for ESAT6/CFP10, between infants in Uganda and the UK. Neither maternal LTBI nor infant exposure to or infection with mycobacteria impacts the response to BCG. The observed global differences in immune response to BCG immunization are likely to be due to other causes.

HIV in pregnancy: a case of Pneumocystis (carinii) jiroveci pneumonia.

This review highlights the rising prevalence of HIV in pregnancy both in the developed and developing world. It focuses on the challenges of diagnosis and management of Pneumocystis (carinii) jiroveci pneumonia in an HIV-positive pregnant woman. Public health efforts need to continue addressing testing at the earliest opportunity, the psychosocial issues which impact negatively on the care of HIV-positive individuals and ways to reduce stigmatisation associated with this viral illness.

CIN III Diagnosed following Surgical Termination of Pregnancy.

We present a case of a 30-year-old mother of four who was incidentally diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) III following surgical termination of pregnancy. Five years previously a routine smear test had shown mild dyskaryosis but was never repeated. She was referred to colposcopy and, underwent loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) and subsequently vaginal hysterectomy. Without this incidental finding she would have undoubtedly developed cervical cancer. We discuss the deficiencies in current cervical cancer prevention strategies and termination of pregnancy services. We emphasise the importance of ensuring that patients with dyskaryosis are not lost to follow-up and we consider whether there should be clearer guidance on the value of histological examination of products of conception following termination of pregnancy.

Just another negative DVT?

A 69-year-old woman presented to the emergency department (ED) with a swollen left thigh and leg. D-dimer test was positive, a radiology department ultrasound showed no direct evidence of a deep venous thrombosis but a lack of respiratory modulation was seen. ED ultrasound showed large groin lymph nodes and this, together with low haemoglobin, prompted a CT scan which led to the diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma.

Emergency department ultrasound diagnosis of spontaneous iliopsoas haemorrhage in a patient on warfarin.

A 87-year-old man presented to the emergency department (ED) with right-sided abdominal and thigh pain which had been present for the last 3 days and was getting worse. He had been diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis of the left common femoral and superficial veins 10 days previously and had been discharged on a loading dose of warfarin and low-molecular weight heparin (dalteparin) injections. Despite his international normalised ratio being only 2.4, an ED ultrasound showed an unusual mass in the right iliac fossa, partly cystic and partly solid. A CT scan was performed which showed the lesion was a haematoma in the right iliopsoas muscle mass.

Intramural ectopic pregnancy: a case and review of the literature.

An intramural ectopic is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy in which the gestational sac is implanted within the myometrium, separate from the endometrial cavity and Fallopian tubes. There are only 53 cases in the published literature. We report a case of intramural ectopic pregnancy treated surgically and review the published data on this rare type of ectopic pregnancy, with respect to aetiology, diagnosis and management.