Combination of mifepristone and misoprostol vs misoprostol monotherapy for treatment of second-trimester pregnancy loss.

OBJECTIVE: Our main goal was to evaluate whether a treatment protocol based on the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol for second-trimester foetal loss was more effective than misoprostol monotherapy. METHODS: This was an observational, retrospective, cross-sectional two-centre study of women receiving treatment for second-trimester pregnancy loss. Patients were recruited in two centres that used different treatment protocols: combined mifepristone-misoprostol treatment or misoprostol monotherapy. RESULTS: A total of 99 patients were included in the study: 41 in the mifepristone-misoprostol combined treatment group and 58 in the misoprostol monotherapy group. The combined treatment group had shorter times to expulsion and shorter hospitalisations, as well as higher rates of hospital discharge within 24 h and complete abortion within the first 6 h and 12 h. There were no differences regarding secondary effects and complication rates. CONCLUSION: A combination of mifepristone and misoprostol appears to be a feasible option for the treatment of second-trimester pregnancy loss.

Intraamniotic digoxin administration versus intracardiac or funic potassium chloride administration to induce foetal demise before termination of pregnancy: a prospective study.

Different foeticide techniques and pharmacological agents have been used to achieve foetal asystole. This study aimed to compare the success of intraamniotic digoxin, intracardiac potassium chloride (KCl), and funic KCl in achieving foetal asystole and discuss procedural difficulties for physicians and clinical outcomes. This prospective observational study included 124 patients who received foeticide at 22-31 weeks of gestation. All procedures were performed transabdominally, and 1 mg of intraamniotic digoxin, funic KCl, or intracardiac KCl was administered. Procedure times, procedural difficulty scores, patient pain scores, decrease in haematocrit levels, induction and hospitalisation times, and the presence of chorioamnionitis were recorded. The foeticide success rates were 93.0, 95.1, and 97.5% for intraamniotic digoxin, intracardiac KCl, and funic KCl, respectively. Intraamniotic digoxin was associated with shorter procedure times, lower procedural difficulty scores, and lower patient pain scores (p < 0.001). Decreases in haematocrit, induction times, and chorioamnionitis were similar in all three procedures. Success rates and clinical results were similar for all three procedures. Foeticide with intra-amniotic digoxin has a high success rate, the procedure is easier to perform, and patients experience less procedural pain.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Different foeticide techniques and pharmacological agents have been used to achieve foetal asystole. Pharmacological agents used in the foeticide procedure can be injected as intracardiac, funic, intrafetal, or intraamniotic, and the most commonly used are potassium chloride (KCl), digoxin, and lidocaine.What do the results of this study add? The success rates and clinical outcomes in achieving foetal asystole are similar for intracardiac KCl, funic KCl, and intra-amniotic digoxin procedures. Foeticide with intra-amniotic digoxin is less difficult to perform, and patients experience less pain associated with the procedure. All three techniques appear to be safe and have similar short-term obstetric outcomes.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Physicians may prefer foeticide with intra-amniotic digoxin as the procedure is technically simpler and has similar success rates to intracardiac or funic KCl administration. A prospective randomised study could better compare the advantages and limitations of the foeticide techniques.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: from an obstetrician point of view.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is the commonest among the specific dermatoses of pregnancy. The disease is characterised by intense pruritus and specifically by elevated bile acid levels and owing to the rarity of data published in this context, the disease carries a great challenge in both diagnosis and management. The disease is associated with significant maternal as well as perinatal adverse effects, hence, this article aims at improving the knowledge of the women's health carers with the up-to-date and evidence-based, whenever possible, recommendations while managing patients with ICP.

Long umbilical cord and its mysterious demeanour: A case report.

True knots in the umbilical cord are rare, affecting approximately 1% of all pregnancies. The diagnosis may be missed antenatally during routine ultrasonography. Many known predisposing factors are associated with true knotting. In the majority of cases, it has no bearing on foetal outcome, but may rarely be linked to intra-uterine foetal death.

Placental pathology concerning sudden foetal demise in SARS-CoV-2 positive asymptomatic pregnant female.

AIMS: Coronavirus disease 2019 is responsible for a worldwide increase in morbidity and mortality. The relationship of this infection to mother-to-child vertical transmission has not been elucidated yet. However, recent reports indicate a foetal death rate of up to 3%. METHODS: We report a case of sudden pre-term foetal demise in a woman positive for SARS-CoV-2 but asymptomatic, with physiological course of pregnancy. RESULTS: One of the possible explanations of sudden foetal death may be acute placental insufficiency caused by a SARS-CoV-2 placental infection or the development of foetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS). CONCLUSION: Considering the potential risk of foetal demise, questions remain regarding foetal monitoring and the timing of labour and delivery in the second and third trimesters, particularly in asymptomatic or mild maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. A relevant multidisciplinary team must also be aware of these risks associated with possibly fatal consequences.

The high platelet counts as predictor for early foetal demise.

Objectives: Early fetal demise (absence of cardiac activity in a visible fetus) is a very common event, but there are no reliable biomarkers to predict it. The purpose of the study was to assess the association of platelet parameters with early fetal demise.Methods: In this case-control study, we included women with normal deliveries or those ultrasound diagnosed as early fetal demise. For those who were identified with early fetal demise, the platelet parameters were analyzed before the ultrasound diagnosis, which is based on the absence of either an embryo within a gestational sac or cardiac activity in a visible embryo in the 5-10 weeks of gestation. The association between the risk of early fetal demise with the women's mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet counts was calculated by logistic regression. Duplicate measurements of platelet aggregation were performed with VerifyNow. Results: In total, 99 women identified with early fetal demise and 170 women who had an uncomplicated pregnancy with normal delivery from January 2017 and August 2020 were included in the study. We found that platelet counts in the early fetal demise group were significantly higher than healthy pregnancies. In addition, platelet reactivity is higher in the normal delivery group than those in early fetal demise group (p < .05). High levels of platelet counts resulted in an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.075 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.215-3.544; p = .008) for early fetal demise. Conclusions: Increased platelet counts in the first trimester may be a predictor for the risk of early fetal demise.

Evaluation of placenta in foetal demise and foetal growth restriction.

AIM: The study objective was to evaluate the pathological changes of the placenta in foetal death and foetal growth restriction and to find correlation of the findings with clinical causes. SETTING AND DESIGN: Prospective study at a tertiary care hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Gross and histopathological examinations of the placentae were carried out in pregnancies with foetal demise (IUD) and Foetal Growth Restriction (FGR). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SPSS, version 11.5. RESULTS: Placentae of twenty seven women with foetal demise and of equal number of women with foetal growth restriction were studied. Placental weight was less than 10(th) percentile in 61.5% women in IUD group and in 93% women in the FGR group. Gross examination of placentae showed abnormalities in 12 (44%) women of IUD group and in 16 (59%) women of FGR group. Histopathological abnormalities were observed in 74.1% women of the IUD group and in 66.7% women of FGR group. Placental histopathology correlated with clinical risk factors in 60% women of IUD group and in 40% women of FGR group. Among the women with no clinically explainable cause for IUD and FGR, 86% and 57% had placental histopathological abnormalities respectively. CONCLUSION: The histopathological abnormalities of the placenta can be used to document the clinical causes of foetal demise and growth restriction; it may explain the causes in cases of clinically unexplained foetal demise and foetal growth restriction.

Identificación de las causas de muerte fetal en una institución hospitalaria de atención materna de Cartagena, Colombia, 2012-2014 / Identification of the causes of foetal demise in a maternal care institution in Cartagena, Colombia, 2012-2014

Objetivo: determinar las causas de las muertes fetales registradas en una institución pública de referencia en Cartagena, Colombia, durante los años 2012-2014. Materiales y métodos: serie de casos. Se incluyeron los óbitos fetales que fueron sometidos a autopsia en la Clínica Maternidad Rafael Calvo de Cartagena, institución pública de segundo nivel de complejidad, que atiende a pacientes afiliadas al régimen subsidiado por el Estado. Se realizó muestreo consecutivo. Se evaluaron la edad gestacional, el sexo y la causa clínica de la muerte mediante el sistema ReCoDe que permite clasificar la muerte fetal mediante nueve categorías. Los resultados se presentan mediante estadística descriptiva. Resultados: se evaluaron 458 fetos con reporte de autopsia. Se estableció la causa de la muerte de manera probable o posible en 440 casos (97 %). Las principales condiciones asociadas a la muerte fetal fueron la insuficiencia placentaria (44,7 %), seguidas de las alteraciones relacionadas con el líquido amniótico (18,6 %), la causa materna (12,8 %), y las causas fetales (12 %). El 2,8 % de los casos fueron clasificados como inexplicados. Conclusiones: el sistema de clasificación ReCoDe permitió la adecuada clasificación de la causa de muerte en el 97 % de los óbitos fetales sometidos a autopsia.

Objective: To determine the causes of foetal demise documented in a public referral institution in Cartagena, Colombia between 2012-2014. Materials and methods: Case series including foetal demises taken to autopsy at the Rafael Calvo Maternal Clinic in Cartagena, a level II public institution that sees patients affiliated to the State subsidised healthcare regime. A consecutive sampling was used. Gestational age, sex and the clinical cause of death were analysed using the ReCoDe system in which 9 categories are used to classify foetal demise. Descriptive statistics are used to present the results. Results: Overall, 458 foetuses with an autopsy report were assessed. Possible or probable cause of death was established in 440 cases (97 %). The main conditions associated with foetal death were placental insufficiency (44.7 %), followed by amniotic fluid abnormalities (18.6 %), maternal causes (12.8 %), and foetal causes (12 %). Of all the cases, 2.8 % were classified as unexplained. Conclusions: The ReCoDe classification system was useful for classifying the cause of death in 97 % of foetal demises taken to autopsy.

Asociación entre edad materna avanzada y los resultados perinatals adversos en una clínica universitaria de Cartagena (Colombia), 2012: estudio de cohorte retrospectiva / Association between older maternal age and adverse perinatal outcomes in a university clinic in Cartagena, Colombia, 2012: a retrospective cohort study

Objetivo: evaluar la posible asociación entre la edad materna avanzada y los resultados perinatales adversos.Materiales y métodos: estudio observacional de cohortes históricas con gestantes que tuvieron parto en la Clínica Universitaria San Juan de Dios en Cartagena (Colombia), durante el 2012; esta es una institución general de carácter privado, de tercer nivel de complejidad. Tamaño muestral: 160 pacientes por grupo con base en una frecuencia esperada de muerte fetal en el grupo expuesto del 22%, en el grupo no expuesto del 10 %, con un nivel de confianza del 95% y un poder del 80 %. Muestreo aleatorio simple. Se midieron las variables demográficas, la edad gestacional al momento del parto, peso y talla de los recién nacidos, Apgar a los 5 minutos y vía del parto. Se consideraron los resultados perinatales adversos; como resultado primario, la muerte fetal in utero, y secundarios el parto pretérmino y la asfixia perinatal. Se hace una descripción de las características basales de los dos grupos; para evaluar la asociación con los resultados se estimó el riesgo relativo (RR) y el respectivo intervalo de confianza del 95%.Resultados: el riesgo relativo (RR) de muerte fetal intrauterina dada la edad avanzada de la gestante fue de 1,33 (IC 95 %: 0,59-2,99). El RR de prematurez, dada la edad materna avanzada, fue de 0,94 (IC 95 %: 0,42-2,05) y, finalmente, el RR de asfixia perinatal dada la edad materna avanzada fue de 0,96 (IC 95 %: 0,66-1,39).Conclusiones: no se encontró que la edad materna sea un factor de riesgo para malos resultados perinatales.

Objective: To evaluate the potential association between older maternal age and adverse perinatal outcomes.Materials and methods: Observational historical cohort study of pregnant women delivered during 2012 at the San Juan de Dios University Clinic in Cartagena, a private, level III general care institution. Sample size: 160 patients per group based on an expected frequency of foetal demise of 22% in the exposed group and 10% in the non-exposed group, a 95% confidence interval, and a power of 80%, the number of patients required in each group was 160. A simple random assignment was used. Demographic variables, gestational age at the time of delivery, weight and height of the neonates, 5 minute Apgar, and route of delivery were measured. Foetal death in utero was considered as the primary perinatal adverse outcome, and preterm delivery and perinatal asphyxia were considered as secondary adverse outcomes. The baseline characteristics of the two groups are described. Relative risk (RR) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval were estimated in order to assess the association with the outcomes.Results: The relative risk (RR) of intrauterine foetal demise given older maternal age was 1.33; 95% CI (0.59-2.99). The RR of prematurity given older maternal age was 0.94; 95% CI (0.42-2.05); and the RR of perinatal asphyxia given older maternal age was 0.96; 95% CI (0.66-1.39).Conclusion: Maternal age was not found to be a risk factor for poor perinatal outcomes.