Perinatal survival and procedure-related complications after intrauterine transfusion for red cell alloimmunization.

OBJECTIVES: To study the perinatal survival and procedure-related (PR)complications after intrauterine transfusions in red cell alloimmunization. METHODS: Prospective data of 102 women with Rh-alloimmunized pregnancy undergoing intrauterine intravascular transfusion for fetal anemia, from January 2011 to October 2014 were analyzed. Main outcome measures were perinatal survival and procedure-related (PR) complications. RESULTS: A total of 303 intrauterine transfusions were performed in 102 women. Of 102 fetuses, 22 were hydropic at first transfusion. The mean period of gestation and hematocrit at first transfusion was 26.9 ± 3.3 weeks (range 19.7-33.8 weeks) and 17 ± 7.82 % (range 5.7-30 %), respectively. Average number of transfusions was 2.97 (range 1-7) per patient. Overall survival was 93 % and mean period of gestation at delivery was 34.5 ± 1.94 (range 28.3-37.4) weeks. Mean hematocrit at delivery was 36.9 ± 8.77 % (range 10-66 %). Fetal death occurred in four cases (3PR), neonatal death occurred in three cases (2PR). Emergency cesarean delivery after transfusion was performed in four pregnancies. The total PR complication rate was 2.97 %, resulting in overall PR loss in 1.65 % per procedure. CONCLUSION: Our results compare favorably with other studies published in the literature. Intravascular transfusion is a safe procedure improving perinatal survival in fetuses with anemia due to Rh-alloimmunization.

Comparison of Accuracy of Freestyle Libre Pro and Medtronic iPro2 Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems in Pregnancy.

There are limited data on head-to-head performance of Freestyle Libre Pro (FSL-Pro) and blinded Medtronic iPro2 continuous glucose monitoring system in pregnancy. In this prospective observational study, women with hyperglycemia in pregnancy (n = 42) underwent simultaneous FSL-Pro and Medtronic iPro2 sensor insertion and self-monitoring of blood glucose using Contour Plus meter (reference). The overall mean absolute relative difference (MARD) for iPro2 and FSL-Pro systems were 8.0% ± 9.2% and 19.0% ± 12.7%, respectively. At hypoglycemic range, both sensors performed less accurately (MARD: 18.0% and 16.8%, respectively), whereas iPro2 showed higher accuracy at euglycemic (8.2% and 19.3%, respectively) and hyperglycemic (6.8% and 18.0%, respectively) ranges. On Bland-Altman analysis, iPro2 and FSL-Pro underestimated glucose by 0.01 and 1.09 mmol/L, respectively. The ISO criteria were fulfilled for 88.5% and 44.9% of all values, respectively. To conclude, iPro2 was more accurate; however, both sensors demonstrated inaccuracy at hypoglycemic range, highlighting the need for refinements in the current generation of sensors to address this problem.

Clinical correlates of pain and anxiety in prenatal diagnostic procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To study patient perception of pain and anxiety before and after amniocentesis (AC) and transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and the clinical correlates of pain and anxiety. METHODS: 92 women underwent AC and 78 CVS. Visual analog scale was used to quantify pain and anxiety, immediately before and after the procedure. Factors which could affect pain and anxiety were noted. RESULTS: The pain and anxiety anticipated before the procedures were significantly less than actually perceived. The pre-procedure anxiety did not correlate with post-procedure pain. There was no correlation between anticipated pain or anxiety and age, parity, education, socioeconomic status, and history of procedure in previous pregnancy in both the AC and CVS groups. Post-procedure pain did not correlate with age, parity, education, socioeconomic status, abdominal scar, placental location, number of needle insertion, repeat procedure or abdominal wall thickness in either group. However, on multiple linear regression the overall post-procedure pain was associated with the number of needle insertions. CONCLUSION: Though pre-procedure pain and anxiety levels are high, most patient experience less pain and anxiety after the procedure.

Vaginal polypoid endometriosis simulating neoplasia in a young woman.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to describe a case of vaginal polypoid endometriosis and its management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is a case report. The patient was a nulliparous woman aged 27 years who presented with pain in her lower abdomen and continuous bleeding per vaginum for 2 months. On speculum examination, multiple, smooth, polypoid masses were seen arising all around the vaginal fornices; cervix was healthy. Ultrasound revealed a bulky uterus with a 5 × 6-cm fibroid in the posterior wall with echogenic area adjacent to cervix and gross left hydroureteronephrosis. The right kidney was removed 6 years consequent to pyonephrosis. Biopsy of the vaginal polypoidal mass was reported as vaginal polypoid endometriosis. The patient was planned for myomectomy and vaginal mass excision. On examination under anesthesia, the base of polypoid mass was thick and fixed and could not be excised completely. Myomectomy was done. Postoperatively, the patient received 3 injections of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist, but the size of the mass did not decrease. She was then planned for ureteric reimplantation and panhysterectomy. Hysterectomy was not possible because of extensive parametrial involvement, but Boari flap ureteric implantation with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was done. RESULTS: Vaginal polypoid endometriosis did not respond to medical treatment. However, the widespread vaginal polypoidal masses regressed significantly after oophorectomy. CONCLUSION: Bilateral oophorectomy was resorted to as an option in this case of vaginal polypoid and extensive pelvic endometriosis not amenable to medical treatment and surgical excision.

Vascular hamartoma: an unusual cause of clitoromegaly in an 18-year-old patient.

OBJECTIVE: Clitoromegaly encountered in clinical practice is more commonly due to endocrinopathies either congenital or acquired. However, acquired clitoromegaly due to a nonhormonal cause is quite rare. The authors report a case of nonhormonal-acquired clitoromegaly in a woman. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a case report of an 18-year-old patient with slowly increasing swelling in the vulval area for the past 6 months. Clinical examination revealed an enlarged, soft, nontender clitoris (4 × 2.5 cm), with a lobulated surface. RESULTS: Frozen section from clitoral mass showed a benign tumor. Surgical excision of the mass was carried out, preserving the glans. Histopathologic examination of the excised mass showed congested blood vessels and fibromuscular tissue with free nerve endings suggestive of vascular hamartoma of clitoris. CONCLUSIONS: The correct diagnosis of clitoromegaly is essential so that suitable therapy is instituted. Thus, management of such cases needs a good clinical judgment and a judicious individualization of management protocols.

Is menstruation a valid reason to postpone cardiac surgery?

Background: Cancellation of any scheduled surgery is a significant drain on health resources and potentially stressful for patients. It is frequent in menstruating women who are scheduled to undergo open heart surgery (OHS), based on the widespread belief that it increases surgical and menstrual blood loss. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate blood loss in women undergoing OHS during menstruation. Settings and Design: A prospective, matched case-control study which included sixty women of reproductive age group undergoing OHS. Patients and Methods: The surgical blood loss was compared between women who were menstruating (group-M; n = 25) and their matched controls, i.e., women who were not menstruating (group-NM; n = 25) at the time of OHS. Of the women in group M, the menstrual blood loss during preoperative (subgroup-P) and perioperative period (subgroup-PO) was compared to determine the effect of OHS on menstrual blood loss. Results: The surgical blood loss was comparable among women in both groups irrespective of ongoing menstruation (gr-M = 245.6 ± 120.1 ml vs gr-NM = 243.6 ± 129.9 ml, P value = 0.83). The menstrual blood loss was comparable between preoperative and perioperative period in terms of total menstrual blood loss (gr-P = 36.8 ± 4.8 ml vs gr-PO = 37.7 ± 5.0 ml, P value = 0.08) and duration of menstruation (gr-P = 4.2 ± 0.6 days vs gr-PO = 4.4 ± 0.6 days, P value = 0.10). Conclusion: Neither the surgical blood loss nor the menstrual blood loss is increased in women undergoing OHS during menstruation.

Checklist to aid young physicians managing obstetric emergencies in rural India: a quality improvement initiative.

BACKGROUND: The decision to admit or refer a patient presenting with an obstetric emergency is extremely crucial. In rural India, such decisions are usually made by young physicians who are less experienced and often miss relevant data points required for appropriate decision making. In our setting, before the quality improvement (QI) initiative, this information was recorded on loose blank sheets (first information sheets (FIS)) where an initial clinical history, physical examination and investigations were recorded. The mean FIS completeness, at baseline, was 73.95% (1-5 January 2020) with none of the FIS being fully complete. Our objective was to increase the FIS completeness to >90% and to increase the number of FIS that were fully complete over a 9-month period. METHODS: With the help of a prioritisation matrix, the QI team decided to tackle the problem of incomplete FIS. The team then used fishbone analysis and identified that the main causes of incomplete FIS were that the interns did not know what to document and would often forget some data points. Change ideas to improve FIS completeness were implemented using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, and ultimately, a checklist (referred to as antenatal care (ANC) checklist) was implemented. The study was divided into six phases, and after every phase, a few FIS were conveniently sampled for completeness. RESULTS: FIS completeness improved to 86.34% (p<0.001) in the post implementation phase (1 Feb to 31 August 2020), and in this phase, 69.72% of the FIS were documented using the ANC checklist. The data points that saw the maximum improvement were relating to the physical examination. CONCLUSION: The use of ANC checklist increased FIS completeness. Interns with no prior clinical and QI experience can effectively lead and participate in QI initiatives. The ANC checklist is a scalable concept across similar healthcare settings in rural India.

Establishing the practice of birth companion in labour ward of a tertiary care centre in India-a quality improvement initiative.

BACKGROUND: Birth companion is a key component for providing respectful maternity care and has been recommended by WHO and Government of India. It is a low-cost beneficial intervention that is vital in improving quality of care during labour and delivery. LOCAL PROBLEM: Despite the available evidence on benefits of birth companion, there was no policy on allowing birth companion at our hospital in the past. METHODS AND INTERVENTIONS: We aimed to establish the practice of allowing birth companions in all eligible women in labour ward from existing 0% to 50% in 6 weeks' duration. This study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. A quality improvement (QI) team was formed, and after obtaining the baseline data, problems were analysed using fish bone chart. A new policy of allowing birth companion was made and efforts made to sensitise and train the doctors and nurses posted in labour ward. Changed ideas were executed in multiple plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles. Simple interventions such as dress code for birth companions, curtains for ensuring privacy, display of posters and frequent reminders on WhatsApp groups were planned . RESULTS: The median value of women accompanied by birth companion marginally increased to 25% after the first PDSA cycle. Implementation of further changed ideas led to increase in median, which reached 66.6%. Thereafter, there was a decline, but by the end of 6 months, it was possible to attain the goal and sustain it. CONCLUSIONS: Simple steps of QI methodology can be used to address the prevalent problems in our healthcare. Implementation of any new practice comes with major challenges, but we could achieve our goal because of a motivated team working together on multiple changed ideas applied sequentially in PDSA cycles.

Selective fetal reduction in monochorionic twins: Preliminary experience

Objective: In complicated mono-chorionic twin pregnancies, vaso-occlusive techniques like bipolar cord coagulation (BPCC), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), interstitial laser ablation (ILA) of cord and fetoscopy guided cord coagulation with lasers are the methods proposed for selective fetal reduction. This study brings forth preliminary data of selective fetal reduction procedures at a tertiary care center in India. Material and Methods: This was a prospective observational study of 31 patients with complicated mono-chorionic twin pregnancies. Methods used were ILA, RFA and BPCC. Outcome measures included overall co-twin survival after selective feticide, survival rates with each method, miscarriage (defined as all fetal loss before 24 weeks), early fetal death (<24 hours after procedure) and late fetal death (>24 hours after the procedure) of co-twin. Results: Technical success was achieved in 30/31 (96.8%) of pregnancies. Over all take home baby rate was 63.3%. Live birth rates were 50%, 71.4% and 75% with ILA, RFA and BPCC respectively. Conclusion: Data from initial cases of selective fetal reduction in complicated mono-chorionic twins suggests that these procedures are feasible but are associated with high adverse perinatal outcome.

The Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Bone Mineral Density in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal North Indian Women.

PURPOSE: Present study aims to examine the relationship of the bone mineral density (BMD) with body mass index (BMI) in an apparently healthy premenopausal and postmenopausal north Indian female population. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-five apparently healthy women were evaluated by a detailed questionnaire including all possible factors that could affect the BMD. The height and weight of all the subjects were recorded and BMI was calculated. Bone mineral density was measured by DXA (Dual Electron X-ray Absorptiometry) at L1-L4 Lumbar spine (LS) and femur neck (FN) by using the Prodigy DXA system (software version:8.50) manufactured by GE medical systems LUNAR. RESULTS: The population was divided into pre and postmenopausal groups. The BMD at all sites increased with BMI in both groups. In a multiple regression model, the attributability of BMI and age to variation in LSBMD and FNBMD was 10.3 and 13.9 %, respectively. In postmenopausal women, age, BMI, and a previous history of fracture together attributed to a variance in BMI of 40.1 and 27.6 % at lumbar spine and femur neck, respectively. BMI was found to be significantly associated with low BMD at both sites in premenopausal women, while the association was lost in postmenopausal females. CONCLUSION: BMI is an important determinant of BMD in Indian females. However, the association is not present in postmenopausal women with osteopenia. In addition, the effect of increase in BMI on BMD has a ceiling effect, and moderate to morbid obesity might not actually be a preventive factor for osteopenia.

Laparoscopic management of a large recurrent benign mucinous cystadenoma of the ovary.

INTRODUCTION: Benign mucinous cystadenomas account for 15% of all ovarian neoplasms and up to 80% of all mucinous tumors. Laparoscopy has become an accepted method of management for ovarian cysts and its role is expanding as large benign adnexal masses more than 10 cm can be managed safely and effectively. CASE REPORT: We report a 25-year-old nulliparous lady with a huge benign mucinous cystadenoma managed by laparoscopic cystectomy, followed by an early recurrence within 2 months. Left salpingo-oophorectomy was performed on a repeat laparoscopy due to suspicion of malignancy on ultrasound. Pathology revealed a benign cyst. CONCLUSION: Since mucinous tumors are usually benign and multilocular, management of young patients is challenging, especially in the case of recurrence which is very rare.