Effect of improved management of placenta accreta spectrum disorders on maternal and infant outcomes / 中华围产医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the role of improved management procedures in placenta accreta spectrum disorders (PAS) and its impact on maternal and infant outcomes.Methods:This retrospective study involved 164 pregnant women who were diagnosed with PAS complicated with placenta previa and delivered at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School from January 2019 to December 2022. All subjects were allocated to pre-improvement group (January 2019 to December 2020, n=96) and post-improvement group (January 2021 to December 2022, n=68). The management was improved in the following five aspects (1) The time for scheduled delivery was postponed to 37 weeks from 34-36 weeks;(2) Intraoperative cell salvage was encouraged despite autologous blood donation during pregnancy;(3) Original surgical incision was utilized instead of mid-longitudinal incision in the lower abdomen to reduce operative trauma; (4) A lower segment incision of the uterus was not prohibited based on pre-operative PAS classification and intra-operative situation to enter the uterine cavity, even through the placenta instead of pass-by;(5) The interface between lower uterine segment and bladder was dissected before instead of after the baby was born and uterine blood supply was stopped by tourniquet or Scharr forceps. Statistical methods such as t-test, Chi-square test or Fisher exact probability method were used to compare the difference in maternal and infant outcomes between the two groups. Results:After the improvement, the delivery rate beyond 37 weeks decreased significantly [83.3% (80/96) vs 69.1% (47/68), χ 2=4.60, P=0.038]. There was no significant difference in the distribution of elective, subemergency and emergency surgeries before and after the improvement ( χ 2=0.36, P=0.834). Compared to the pre-improvement group, the proportion of women who underwent cesarean section through previous abdominal incisions increased significantly [74.0% (71/96) vs 91.1% (64/68), χ 2=11.11, P=0.001] in the post-improvement group, while the proportion of application of abdominal longitudinal incision and classical cesarean section decreased significantly [84.3% (81/96) vs 57.3% (39/68), χ 2=14.81, P<0.001; 83.3% (80/96) vs 61.8% (42/68), χ 2=9.72, P=0.003]. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the transfusion rate of allogeneic red blood cell, platelet and other blood components, pre-discharge hemoglobin level, subtotal hysterectomy rate, bladder injury, thrombus event, the admission rate of intensive care unit and unplanned reoperation rate (all P>0.05). The incidence of admission in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and necrotizing enterocolitis decreased significantly after improvement [24.7% (24/97) vs 11.8% (8/68), χ 2=4.31, P=0.038; 4.1% (4/97) vs 0.0% (0/68), χ 2=58.06, P<0.001]. The incidence of respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical ventilation, and neonatal septicemia also decreased, but without statistical difference. Conclusions:After adopting a series of improvement measures, such as delaying planned delivery to 37 weeks of gestation, individualized cesarean section plan, and changing the method of obtaining autoblood, the number of premature infants and the NICU admission rate decreased significantly without increasing the risk of maternal complications and emergency operation. Furthermore, the incidence of adverse events such as maternal organ injury, unplanned reoperation, and re-admission remains at a low level. Therefore, this improved management is feasible.