Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Should Be Recommended for Antepartum Admissions and Cesarean Delivery if Age and Body Mass Index are Greater Than 35.

OBJECTIVE: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Current expanded treatment recommendations result in the inclusion of a large percentage of the obstetric population, which has limited their adoption. The purpose of this study was to identify a population at high risk for VTE, with minimal impact on the number of patients that would qualify for expanded treatment. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective analysis of a large obstetric population. International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revsion (ICD-10) codes for VTE were used to identify patients presenting for obstetric or postpartum (PP) care from January 2016 to March 2018. The review focused on high-risk factors (history of VTE or high-risk thrombophilia), antepartum hospital admissions that were >72 hours in the previous 30 days, use of sequential compression devices, body mass index (BMI; kg/m2), age, and mode of delivery. Pharmacologic treatment efficacy was set at 90, 75, or 50%. RESULTS: During the 27-month review period, there were 120,235 deliveries and 93 had a VTE event in the index pregnancy or within 4 weeks PP (7.7/10,000 births). A history of VTE or high-risk thrombophilia was seen in 25.8% of cases. Antepartum admission was noted in 40.9%, and the combination of cesarean delivery (CD) with age and BMI ≥35 (Age + BMI + CD) was noted in 17.3% of PP cases. Targeting these latter two groups for VTE prophylaxis with a 75% efficacy suggests that 34% of the VTE events would likely have been prevented while increasing the total population treated by approximately 2%. CONCLUSION: Expanding pharmacologic prophylactical coverage to include an antepartum admission of >72 hours and those with Age + BMI + CD would result in about a one-third reduction in total VTE events with about 2% requiring treatment. These data support some of the suggested recommendations for expanded pharmacological deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis. KEY POINTS: · CD, and BMI and age >35 are high-risk factors for VTE.. · Antepartum admission >72 hours is a high-risk factor for VTE.. · Targeting antepartum admissions, CD, and BMI and age >35 would reduce VTE events by about 33%..

Cross-sectional survey of California childbirth hospitals: implications for defining maternal levels of risk-appropriate care.

OBJECTIVE: Measures of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity have risen in the United States, sparking national interest regarding hospitals' ability to provide maternal risk-appropriate care. We examined the extent to which hospitals could be classified by increasingly sophisticated maternal levels of care. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a cross-sectional survey to identify hospital-specific resources and classify hospitals by criteria for basic, intermediate, and regional maternal levels of care in all nonmilitary childbirth hospitals in California. We measured hospital compliance with maternal level of care criteria that were produced via consensus based on professional standards at 2 regional summits funded by the March of Dimes through a cooperative agreement with the Community Perinatal Network in 2007 (California Perinatal Summit on Risk-Appropriate Care). RESULTS: The response rate was 96% (239 of 248 hospitals). Only 82 hospitals (34%) were classifiable under these criteria (35 basic, 42 intermediate, and 5 regional) because most (157 [66%]) did not meet the required set of basic criteria. The unmet criteria preventing assignment into the basic category included the ability to perform a cesarean delivery within 30 minutes 100% of the time (only 64% met), pediatrician availability day and night (only 56% met), and radiology department ultrasound capability within 12 hours (only 83% met). Only 29 of classified hospitals (35%) had a nursery or neonatal intensive care unit level that matched the maternal level of care, and for most remaining hospitals (52 of 53), the neonatal intensive care unit level was higher than the maternal care level. CONCLUSION: Childbirth services varied widely across California hospitals, and most hospitals did not fit easily into proposed levels. Cognizance of this existing variation is critical to determining the optimal configuration of services for basic, intermediate, and regional maternal levels of care.

Do laborists improve delivery outcomes for laboring women in California community hospitals?

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the impact of the laborist staffing model on cesarean rates and maternal morbidity in California community hospitals. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study comparing cesarean rates, vaginal birth after cesarean rates, composite maternal morbidity, and severe maternal morbidity for laboring women in California community hospitals with and without laborists. We conducted interviews with nurse managers to obtain data regarding hospital policies, practices, and the presence of laborists, and linked this information with patient-level hospital discharge data for all deliveries in 2012. RESULTS: Of 248 childbirth hospitals, 239 (96.4%) participated; 182 community hospitals were studied, and these hospitals provided 221,247 deliveries for analysis. Hospitals with laborists (n = 43, 23.6%) were busier, had more clinical resources, and cared for higher-risk patients. There was no difference in the unadjusted primary cesarean rate for laborist vs nonlaborist hospitals (11.3% vs 11.7%; P = .382) but there was a higher maternal composite morbidity rate (14.4% vs 12.0%; P = .0006). After adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics, there were no differences in laborist vs nonlaborist hospitals for any of the specified outcomes. Hospitals with laborists had higher attempted trial of labor after cesarean rates, and lower repeat cesarean rates (90.9% vs 95.9%; P < .0001). However, among women attempting trial of labor after cesarean, there was no difference in the vaginal birth after cesarean success rate. CONCLUSION: We were unable to demonstrate differences in cesarean and maternal childbirth complication rates in community hospitals with and without laborists. Further efforts are needed to understand how the laborist staffing model contributes to neonatal outcomes, cost and efficiency of care, and patient and physician satisfaction.

Variation in childbirth services in California: a cross-sectional survey of childbirth hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to describe the resources and activities associated with childbirth services. STUDY DESIGN: We adapted models for assessing the quality of healthcare to generate a conceptual framework hypothesizing that childbirth hospital resources and activities contributed to maternal and neonatal outcomes. We used this framework to guide development of a survey, which we administered by telephone to hospital labor and delivery nurse managers in California. We describe the findings by hospital type (ie, integrated delivery system [IDS], teaching, and other [community] hospitals). RESULTS: Of 248 nonmilitary childbirth hospitals in California, 239 (96%)responded; 187 community, 27 teaching, and 25 IDS hospitals reported. The context of services varied across hospital types, with community hospitals more likely to have for-profit ownership, be in a rural or isolated location, and have fewer annual deliveries per hospital. Results included the findings of the following: (1) 24 hour anesthesia availability in 50% of community vs 100% of IDS and teaching hospitals (P < .001); (2) 24 hour in-house labor and delivery physician coverage in 5% of community vs 100% of IDS and 48% of teaching hospitals (P < .001); (3) 24 hour blood bank availability in 88% of community vs 96% of IDS and 100% of teaching hospitals (P = .092); (4) adult subspecialty intensive care unit availability in 33% of community vs 36% of IDS and 82% of teaching hospitals (P < .001); (5) ability to perform emergency cesarean delivery in 30 minutes 100% of the time in 56% of community vs 100% of IDS and 85% of teaching hospitals (P < .001); (6) pediatric care available both day and night in 54% of community vs 63% of IDS vs 76% of teaching hospitals (P = .087); and (7) no neonatal intensive care unit in 44% of community vs 12% of IDS and 4% of teaching hospitals (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Childbirth services varied widely across California hospitals. Cognizance of this variation and linkage of these data to childbirth outcomes should assist in the identification of key resources and activities that optimize the hospital environment for pregnant women and set the groundwork for identifying criteria for the provision of maternal risk-appropriate care.

First-trimester aneuploidy screening: is there a maternal age at which it loses effectiveness?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the maternal age at which the likelihood of a "screen-positive" result justifies diagnostic testing. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of women who presented for first-trimester screening using nuchal translucency (NT) measurements with or without serum biochemistry between January 2000-December 2011. Using cutoffs of 1:300, 1:270, and 1:200, the Trisomy 21 (T21) screen-positive rates were stratified by maternal age. RESULTS: A total of 6,927 women underwent first-trimester screening; women with multiple gestations and/or using donor oocytes were excluded. Of the remaining women, 4,882 had combined NT and biochemistry results, while 1,767 had NT without serum screening results. Screen-positive rates were stratified by maternal age. An increase in the screen-positive rate is noted for both groups after age 40 but is more pronounced after age 43, where the screen-positive rate is 97.8% and 63.0% using cutoffs of 1:300 for the NT and NT and Biochemistry groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Women undergoing first-trimester screening at age 40 have approximately 30% likelihood of screening positive for T21. This rate increases to roughly 70-90% at age 44. This information will affect the counseling of patients who are considering prenatal screening versus diagnosis.