How do I perform cell salvage during vaginal obstetric hemorrhage?

BACKGROUND: Obstetric hemorrhage is a leading cause of preventable maternal mortality. To combat this, obstetric organizations worldwide recommend consideration of autotransfusion during severe peripartum bleeding to minimize allogenic transfusion. Current guidelines for autotransfusion in obstetrics are limited to patients undergoing cesarean birth. At present, women experiencing vaginal obstetric hemorrhage are excluded from many obstetric autotransfusion protocols. However, emerging data suggest that autotransfusion of vaginally shed blood is both safe and feasible in the obstetric patient population. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In this review, we will provide an overview of the current literature surrounding cell salvage of vaginally send blood and a detailed outline of our institution's blood collection protocol. RESULTS: Recent data suggests autotransfusion of vaginally shed blood is both safe and effective. DISCUSSION: Implementation of autotransfusion technology into the delivery room is a critical next step for the advancement of transfusion medicine in obstetrics. This review provides an overview of the data surrounding autotransfusion of vaginally shed blood during maternal hemorrhage and describes practical suggestions for how it can be effectively implemented into routine practice.

Missed Opportunities to Promptly Diagnose and Treat Adrenal Tumors.

INTRODUCTION: Adrenal mass management guidelines are insufficiently applied, and timeliness of treatment is unknown. We evaluated missed opportunities to promptly diagnose and treat adrenal tumors that ultimately required adrenalectomy. METHODS: From the Veterans Affairs Corporate Data Warehouse, we identified patients who underwent adrenalectomy (2010-2016) in the South-Central Veterans Affairs HealthCare Network and reviewed their records. Diagnostic timeliness was assessed by the interval between initial (index) imaging with adrenal abnormality and the next diagnostic step. Workup was defined as early (interval ≤6 mo) or late (>6 mo). Adrenalectomy was considered prompt when the interval between index imaging and adrenalectomy was ≤12 mo and delayed when this was >12 mo. We quantified diagnostic and treatment delays and assessed factors associated with delayed adrenalectomy. RESULTS: During the study period, 84 patients underwent adrenalectomy: male (86.9%), White (57.1%), with a mean age of 58.7 y (±8.8). Of those, 25 (29.8%) had late workup, and 36 (42.9%) had delayed surgery (median interval: 44 mo, range 14-282). Late hormonal workup occurred in 24 of 36 (66.7%) patients with delayed surgery, compared with one of 48 (2.1%, P < 0.001) with prompt surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Missed opportunities in prompt diagnosis and treatment were common in patients with adrenal masses ultimately requiring adrenalectomy. Late hormonal workup is associated with delayed adrenalectomy. Interventions are needed to aid clinicians to recognize the presence, promptly evaluate, and make guideline-informed decisions on the management of an adrenal mass.

Prenatal testing in pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization with pre-implantation genetic testing.

OBJECTIVE: Women with pregnancies resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF) with normal pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) are advised to undergo prenatal screening and testing during pregnancy. It is not well known how many follow these recommendations. Our objective was to study prenatal testing decisions made by women with pregnancies conceived through IVF with PGT-A. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of women who received genetic counseling during pregnancies conceived through IVF with normal PGT-A. We excluded those who received genetic counseling preconceptionally prior to IVF. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and after testing for normality by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, independent t test, Mann-Whitney U test, or Chi-square/Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Data from 83 women were included. Of these, 53 (63.9%) had at least one of the following prenatal tests: first trimester combined screening (16.9%), non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) (45.8%), second trimester serum screening (6%), and invasive diagnostic testing (6%). 10.8% had more than one of the above tests and 36.1% declined all tests. CONCLUSION: Almost two-thirds of women who were pregnant after IVF with normal PGT-A had prenatal aneuploidy screening or testing. Future prospective studies with larger cohorts are needed to further ascertain decision making in this population.

Two-Layer Compared With One-Layer Vaginal Cuff Closure at the Time of Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy to Reduce Complications.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether two-layer laparoscopic vaginal cuff closure at the time of laparoscopic hysterectomy is associated with a lower rate of postoperative complications compared with a standard one-layer cuff closure. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of total laparoscopic hysterectomies performed by fellowship-trained minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons between 2011 and 2017 was performed. Surgeons sutured the vaginal cuff laparoscopically, either in a two- or one-layer closure. The primary outcome was a composite of total postoperative complications, including all medical and surgical complications within 30 days and vaginal cuff complications within 180 days. Factors known to influence laparoscopic vaginal cuff complications including age, postmenopausal status, body mass index, tobacco use, and immunosuppressant medications were examined and controlled for, while surgeon skill, colpotomy technique, and suture material remained standardized. We conducted statistical analyses including χ2, Fisher exact test, logistic regression, and post hoc power calculations. RESULTS: Of the 2,973 women who underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomies, 40.8% (n=1,213) of vaginal cuffs were closed with a two-layer closure and 59.2% (n=1,760) with a one-layer technique. Two-layer vaginal cuff closure was associated with decreased numbers of total postoperative complications (3.5% vs 5.7%; P<.01). The primary difference stemmed from lower vaginal cuff complications within 180 days (0.9% vs 2.6%; P<.01); no differences in 30-day medical and surgical postoperative complications were observed between the two groups (2.6% vs 3.1%; P=.77). No patients in the two-layer vaginal cuff closure cohort experienced a vaginal cuff dehiscence or mucosal separation compared with 1.0% in the one-layer group (P<.01). Compared with a one-layer closure, a two-layer closure was protective from postoperative complications (adjusted odds ratio 0.38, 95% CI 0.19-0.74). CONCLUSION: Although postoperative complications with laparoscopic hysterectomies are rare, two-layer laparoscopic vaginal cuff closure is associated with lower total postoperative complications compared with a one-layer closure. The difference was primary driven by cuff complications.

Outcomes of Planned Compared With Urgent Deliveries Using a Multidisciplinary Team Approach for Morbidly Adherent Placenta.

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes between planned and urgent cesarean hysterectomy for morbidly adherent placenta managed by a multidisciplinary team. METHODS: This is a retrospective case-control study of women with singleton pregnancies with antenatally suspected and pathologically confirmed morbidly adherent placenta who underwent cesarean hysterectomy between January 1, 2011, and February 30, 2017. Timing of delivery was classified as either planned (delivery at 34-35 weeks of gestation) or urgent (need for urgent delivery as a result of uterine contractions, bleeding, or both). The primary outcome variable was composite maternal morbidity. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate risk factors for urgent delivery. RESULTS: One hundred thirty patients underwent hysterectomy. Sixty (46.2%) required urgent delivery. Composite maternal morbidity was identified in 34 (56.7%) of the urgent and 26 (37.1%) of the planned deliveries (P=.03). Fewer units of red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma were transfused in the planned delivery group (red blood cells, median interquartile range 3 [0-8] versus 1 [0-4], P=.02; fresh frozen plasma, median interquartile range 1 [0-2] versus 0 [0-0], P=.001). Rates of low Apgar score and respiratory distress syndrome were higher in the urgent compared with the planned delivery group (5-minute Apgar score less than 7, 34 [59.6%] versus 14 [23.3%], P<.01; respiratory distress syndrome, 34 [61.8%] versus 16 [27.1%], P<.01). A history of two or more prior cesarean deliveries was an independent predictor of urgent delivery (adjusted odds ratio 11.4, 95% CI 1.8-71.1). CONCLUSION: Women with morbidly adherent placenta requiring urgent delivery have a worse outcome than women with planned delivery. Women with morbidly adherent placenta and two or more prior cesarean deliveries are at increased risk for urgent delivery. In such women, scheduling delivery before the standard 34- to 35-week timeframe may be reasonable.