Changing indications and antenatal prognostic factors for ex-utero intrapartum treatment procedures.

OBJECTIVE: In cases of suspected neonatal airway obstruction, the ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure is used to secure the airway while a fetus remains on placental circulation. We report indications and outcomes from all EXIT procedures at a tertiary obstetric unit between 1997 and 2020. METHOD: Retrospective cohort study with data collected from maternal and neonatal medical records. RESULTS: Indications for EXIT procedures were micrognathia (n = 7), lymphatic malformations (n = 5), cervical teratomas (n = 4), goiters (n = 2), and intra-oral epulis (n = 1). Infants with a fetal teratoma were delivered earliest due to 75% presenting with preterm premature rupture of membranes or preterm labor. Low birth weight was found in 75% of these neonates; they did not survive 1 year. Intubation at EXIT occurred for 58% (n = 11) of babies, and six neonates required a tracheostomy. In four cases of fetal micrognathia, the inferior facial angle (IFA) was noted to be <5th centile. All but one micrognathia case had polyhydramnios. Of the total cohort, 75% of neonates were alive at 1 year. CONCLUSION: Risks for neonatal demise with EXIT include fetal teratoma, low birth weight, and prematurity. Micrognathia has become an increasingly valid indication for the procedure. The combination of polyhydramnios and IFA <5% correlates well with severe airway obstruction and suggests consideration of EXIT.

What is the effect of re-introducing a clinical conversation into urgent referral pathways?

Demand for assessment at the acute medicine receiving unit (AMRU) regularly exceeded the capacity of the AMRU to assess and treat in a timely way. Audit work suggested that 28% of patients arriving could have had their care delivered in an alternative setting by a service that was already available. The system of referral was redesigned to re-introduce a mandatory GP to consultant clinical conversation to enable navigation of patients to the most appropriate clinical setting. This has relieved pressure on the AMRU and means that patients are directed to the right clinical setting, first time, more of the time. The numbers of patients presenting to the AMRU following such a conversation who could have had care delivered in an alternative setting has dropped below 5%. The ambulatory care rate for the AMRU has been maintained at 43%.

Obstructed ileostomy in the third trimester of pregnancy due to compression from the gravid uterus: diagnosis and management.

Ileostomy obstruction in pregnancy, although rare, is a significant complication with associated morbidity and mortality. Early studies recommended immediate surgical intervention for cases of ileostomy obstruction in pregnancy. We present a case of ileostomy obstruction at 29-week gestation in which a laparotomy was performed for presumed adhesions. When adhesiolysis failed to resolve the obstruction, it became clear that the obstruction was caused by external compression from the enlarging gravid uterus. The remainder of the pregnancy was successfully managed by daily aspiration of bowel contents using a large bore drainage tube, and total parental nutrition. Recent studies have utilised MRI to distinguish between adhesions and uterine compression as the cause of ileostomy obstruction in pregnancy. In the few cases of obstruction caused by uterine compression, patients have been safely managed with conservative therapy, thereby avoiding the risks of surgery.