Risk factors of more severe hypotension after spinal anesthesia for cesarean section.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the risk factors associated with the use of vasopressors to prevent hypotension that occurs after spinal anesthesia during cesarean section. Although the prophylactic use of vasopressors is already suggested as routine care in many parts of the world, the occurrence of spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension (SAIH) is still common in parturients. METHODS: This retrospective study included parturients receiving elective cesarean deliveries under spinal anesthesia from April 2016 to March 2020. Risk factors related to ephedrine dosage were analyzed using a hurdle model, and risk factors related to SAIH were further analyzed with logistic regression. RESULTS: Five risk factors, namely maternal body mass index (BMI, p < 0.001), baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP, p < 0.001), baseline heart rate (HR, p = 0.047), multiparity ( p = 0.003), and large fetal weight ( p = 0.005) were significantly associated with the requirement for ephedrine. Furthermore, a higher ephedrine dosage was significantly associated with maternal BMI ( p < 0.001), baseline SBP ( p < 0.001), baseline HR ( p < 0.001), multiparity ( p = 0.027), large fetal weight ( p = 0.030), maternal age ( p = 0.009), and twin pregnancies ( p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis also showed that the same five risk factors-maternal BMI ( p = 0.030), baseline SBP ( p < 0.001), baseline HR ( p < 0.001), multiparity ( p < 0.001), and large fetal weight ( p < 0.001)-were significantly associated with SAIH, even in cases where vasopressors were administered. CONCLUSION: These findings can be useful for clinicians when deciding the dose of prophylactic ephedrine or phenylephrine to prevent SAIH.

Efficacy of minimally invasive pectopexy with concomitant I-stop-mini sling for women with pelvic organ prolapse and overt stress urinary incontinence: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of minimally invasive pectopexy with I-stop-mini (MPI) and minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy with Obtryx (MSO). METHODS: Women with pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) stage III or more and overt stress urinary incontinence from May 2018 to May 2021 were included. Patients with meshes fixed on the cervix or vaginal vault and bilateral pectineal ligament with I-stop-mini were classified into the MPI group, while those fixed on the apex and sacral promontory with Obtryx were classified into the MSO group. The primary outcomes were 1-year-postoperative POP-Q stage, patient-reported urinary and prolapse outcomes (Urogenital Distress Inventory-6, International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form, and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory-6), 1-h pad test, and sexual life quality (Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire). Secondary outcomes included operative data and adverse events. RESULTS: The efficacy of MPI was similar to that of MSO according to the primary outcomes. MPI had shorter operative times (133.4 ± 30.6 min versus 199.3 ± 20.9 min, P = 0.001) and lower incidence rate of abdominal pain (0% vs 20%, P = 0.02) and groin pain (8% vs 40%, P = 0.01) than MSO. CONCLUSIONS: MPI showed similar efficacy to MSO, but demonstrated shorter operative times and lower incidence rates of abdominal and groin pain.

Efficacy of the new adjustable I-stop-mini sling system in women with stress urinary incontinence and intrinsic sphincter deficiency: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy, surgical outcomes, and adverse events of the adjustable midurethral sling I-stop-mini in women with intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD)-type stress urinary incontinence. We compared this new sling system with the Obtryx transobturator midurethral sling system. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single center from June 2017 to December 2020. A total of 141 women who underwent placement of an I-stop-mini or Obtryx and were followed up for at least 1 year were enrolled. ISD was defined as a Valsalva leak point pressure of ≤60 cmH2 O or a maximal urethral closure pressure of ≤20 cmH2 O. Student t test was used to compare continuous variables, and chi-square test was used to compare the distribution of categorical data. RESULTS: In terms of objective success, I-stop-mini and Obtryx showed no significant differences in the postoperative 1-month, 6-month, and 12-month. The two devices showed similar effectiveness regardless of the ISD definition. The I-stop-mini group had a significantly shorter operative time, whereas the adverse event rates were similar. CONCLUSION: The subjective cure rate, objective success, and adverse event rate did not differ in the two devices. I-stop-mini had a significantly shorter operative time.

A theoretical analysis of prophylactic common iliac arterial occlusion for potential massive bleeding during cesarean delivery: Decision-making considerations - A 2-year retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, there has been a rapid increase in the total cesarean birth rates. The rate of placenta accreta is increasing, and previous cesarean delivery is the most common risk factor. Labor is a major challenge in cases with an abnormally invasive placenta, considering the risk of massive blood loss during cesarean delivery and patient wishes for uterine preservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively obtained clinical data and surgical outcomes of high-risk cases of placenta previa totalis and placenta accreta admitted between March 2018 and September 2020. A multidisciplinary discussion was conducted before surgery. We also constructed an organizational flowchart detailing this decision-making process. RESULTS: Patients who underwent cesarean delivery for suspected placenta accreta or placenta previa totalis with clinical risk factors were reviewed. No patient required an emergency hysterectomy or intensive care unit admission. CONCLUSION: We shared our experience of multidisciplinary decision-making by presenting high-risk cases of placenta previa totalis with clinical risk factors or suspected placenta accreta. Based on our multidisciplinary decision-making process, all patients were discharged without complications.

Home-based noninvasive pelvic floor muscle training device to assist women in performing Kegel exercise in the management of stress urinary incontinence.

BACKGROUND: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a major health problem affecting approximately 50% of the female population over 45 years of age. We evaluated the therapeutic effects of a home-based non-invasive wireless sensor pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) device with assisted Kegel exercise for SUI. METHODS: We included 60 women 40 to 60 years of age who were diagnosed with urodynamic SUI (mean pad test, 10.52 g). The PFMT device applicator was clamped on the upper inner thigh, and the patients could self-train at home. The signal was recorded and delivered to a 3G/4G smartphone via Bluetooth, which also allows guided feedback via the smartphone's voice. To evaluate the therapeutic effect, all patients completed the following questionnaires: a 3-day bladder diary, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), the Urogenital Distress Inventory-Short Form, and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 (IIQ-7). One-hour pad test measurements were performed before the test (M0) and at 1 (M1), 2 months (M2), and 3 months (M3) after the PFMT device-assisted Kegel exercise. RESULTS: The 1-hour pad test and the scores of the ICIQ-SF, UDI-6, and IIQ-7 questionnaires were improved at M1, M2, and M3, compared with the M0 values. The mean value of the post-voiding residual urine (PVR) significantly decreased at M2 and M3. The subjective and objective improvement rates at M3 were 80% and 72%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrated that 3 months of Kegel exercise assisted with a home-based PFMT device improved the number and severity of episodes, PVR, and quality of life in patients with SUI, suggesting that this device might serve as an alternative non-invasive therapy for mild and moderate SUI.

Efficacy and Safety of "I-Stop-Mini Adjustable" Sling System versus Transobturator Midurethral "Obtryx" Sling System in Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety, efficacy, and adverse events of the new mini-adjustable sling system "I-stop-mini" with transobturator midurethral slings "Obtryx" (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA) in women with stress urinary incontinence. DESIGN: A single-center, retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. PATIENTS: A total of 347 patients who underwent I-stop-mini or Obtryx for stress urinary incontinence treatment. INTERVENTIONS: Midurethral sling with either I-stop-mini or Obtryx. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcomes were objective success and subjective cure rates between the 2 groups. Objective success was evaluated using a 1-hour pad test, and subjective cure was evaluated using a questionnaire score (Incontinence Impact Questionnaire, Urinary Distress Inventory, and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form). Secondary outcomes were the evaluation of surgical outcomes, operative data, and adverse events between the 2 groups. In total, 171 of 200 I-stop-mini subjects and 127 of 147 Obtryx subjects completed 12 months of follow-up. Regarding the objective success between the I-stop-mini group and the Obtryx group, 1-month postoperative (3.6 ± 5.2 vs 3.9 ± 12.6; p = .765), 6-month postoperative (3.9 ± 5.1 vs 4.2 ± 12.6; p = .848), and 12-month postoperative (4.6 ± 5.6 vs 4.5 ± 13.6; p = .980) 1-hour pad tests showed no significant difference. The 12-month subjective cure rates decreased from 94.7% (1-month postoperative) to 91.2% (12-month postoperative) in the I-stop-mini group and 95.2% (1-month postoperative) to 85.0% (12-month postoperative) in the Obtryx group. Similar and durable efficacy was observed between the 2 groups. The I-stop-mini group had shorter operative times and hospital stays than the Obtryx group; however, both groups showed similar adverse event rates. CONCLUSION: The objective success and subjective cure rates of I-stop-mini did not differ to those of Obtryx. However, long-term data and further prospective studies on I-stop-mini are necessary to arrive at a definite conclusion.

Using dinoprostone vaginal insert for induction of labor: A single institute experience.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the factors associated with the successful induction of labor (IOL) in women treated with dinoprostone slow-released vaginal insert. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted between June 2017 and December 2017, enrolling 65 patients who underwent dinoprostone slow-released vaginal insert-induced labor. The correlation between the characteristics of the pregnant women and its success, as well as perinatal complications and adverse outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty-three of 65 (81.5%) achieved a successful vaginal delivery. Only multi-parous pregnant women were an independent predictor factor for successful induction after dinoprostone slow-released vaginal insert, since all of them succeeded after this strategy treatment (100%, n = 18), compared to 74.5% (35/47) of successful rate in the nulliparous pregnant women with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.018). There were no adverse events occurred in both mothers and their offspring. CONCLUSION: Dinoprostone slow-released vaginal insert is a good choice for multiparous pregnant women who need IOL, regardless of which reasons are indicated. For nulliparous women, more studies might be needed to evaluate the effectiveness of PGE2 for IOL.

Crosslinked Hyaluronic Acid Gels for the Prevention of Intrauterine Adhesions after a Hysteroscopic Myomectomy in Women with Submucosal Myomas: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Intrauterine adhesion (IUA), fibrosis, and scarring resulting from damage to the endometrium is a rare but serious clinical disease, contributing to a significant impairment of reproductive function. Uterine instrumentation, especially that of a hysteroscopic myomectomy, has become the main cause of IUA. Therefore, a prospective randomized controlled study to assess the effectiveness and short-term safety of the use of hyaluronic acid gels in the prevention of IUA after a hysteroscopic myomectomy and an evaluation of the characteristics of IUA observed at follow-up are presented here. A total of 70 patients were analyzed at the end of 16 March 2020. The results show that the incidence of IUA in women who underwent a hysteroscopic myomectomy is 21.4% (15/70), overall. Women treated with hyaluronic acid gels have a statistically significantly lower incidence of IUAs than non-treated women (12.8% vs. 39.1%, p = 0.012). In addition, women in the anti-adhesive gel treatment group had a dramatically reduced severity of IUA than women in the no-treatment group (p = 0.002). Further analysis shows that the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) classification type and the use of anti-adhesive gels are independent factors associated with moderate and severe degrees of IUA formation. The results here highlight the significant therapeutic benefits of the application of hyaluronic acid gels in women undergoing a hysteroscopic myomectomy, especially for those patients with a uterine myoma classified as FIGO type 2. Since the risk of IUA after a hysteroscopic myomectomy is high, especially for patients who have not received prophylactic anti-adhesive gels, the application of hyaluronic acid gels as a prevention strategy is highly recommended. More studies are encouraged to confirm our observation.

Intracervical Foley Catheter Plus Intravaginal Misoprostol vs Intravaginal Misoprostol Alone for Cervical Ripening: A Meta-Analysis.

Currently, there is no meta-analysis comparing intravaginal misoprostol plus intracervical Foley catheter versus intravaginal misoprostol alone for term pregnancy without identifying risk factors. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials (RCTs) comparing concurrent intravaginal misoprostol and intracervical Foley catheter versus intravaginal misoprostol alone for cervical ripening. We systematically searched Embase, Pubmed, and Cochrane Collaboration databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing intracervical Foley catheter plus intravaginal misoprostol and intravaginal misoprostol alone using the search terms "Foley", "misoprostol", "cervical ripening", and "induction" up to 29 January 2019. Data were extracted and analyzed by two independent reviewers including study characteristics, induction time, cesarean section (C/S), clinical suspicion of chorioamnionitis, uterine tachysystole, meconium stain, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions. Data was pooled using random effects modeling and calculated with risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Pooled analysis from eight studies, including 1110 women, showed that labor induction using a combination of intracervical Foley catheter and intravaginal misoprostol decreased induction time by 2.71 h (95% CI -4.33 to -1.08, p = 0.001), as well as the risk of uterine tachysystole and meconium staining (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.30-0.99 and RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.32-0.73, respectively) significantly compared to those using intravaginal misoprostol alone. However, there was no difference in C/S rate (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.78-1.11) or clinical suspicion of chorioamnionitis rate (RR 1.22, CI 0.58-2.57) between the two groups. Labor induction with a combination of intracervical Foley catheter and intravaginal misoprostol may be a better choice based on advantages in shortening induction time and reducing the risk of uterine tachysystole and meconium staining compared to intravaginal misoprostol alone.

Weekly Dose-Dense Paclitaxel and Triweekly Low-Dose Cisplatin: A Well-Tolerated and Effective Chemotherapeutic Regimen for First-Line Treatment of Advanced Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, and Primary Peritoneal Cancer.

A combination of cytoreductive surgery, either primary (PCS) or interval (ICS), and chemotherapy with a platinum-paclitaxel regimen is the well-accepted treatment for advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), fallopian tube cancer (FTC), and primary peritoneal serous carcinoma (PPSC), but it is still uncertain whether a combination of dose-dense weekly paclitaxel and low-dose triweekly cisplatin is useful in the management of these patients. Therefore, we retrospectively evaluated the outcomes of women with advanced-stage EOC, FTC, and PPSC treated with PCS and subsequent dose-dense weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) and low-dose triweekly cisplatin (20 mg/m2). Between January 2011 and December 2017, 32 women with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIC-IV EOC, FTC, or PPSC were enrolled. Optimal PCS was achieved in 63.5% of patients. The mean and median progression-free survival was 36.5 and 27.0 months, respectively (95% confidence interval (CI): 26.8-46.2 and 11.3-42.7 months, respectively). The mean overall survival was 56.0 months (95% CI: 43.9-68.1 months), and the median overall survival could not be obtained. The most common all-grade adverse events (AEs) were anemia (96.9%), neutropenia (50%), peripheral neuropathy (28.1%), nausea and vomiting (34.4%), and thrombocytopenia (15.6%). These AEs were predominantly grade 1/2, and only a few patients were complicated by grade 3/4 neutropenia (21.9%) and anemia (6.3%). A multivariate analysis indicated that only suboptimal PCS was significantly correlated with a worse prognosis, resulting in an 11.6-fold increase in the odds of disease progression. In conclusion, our data suggest that dose-dense weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) combined with low-dose triweekly cisplatin (20 mg/m2) is a potentially effective and highly tolerable front-line treatment in advanced EOC, FTC, and PPSC. Randomized trials comparing the outcome of this regimen to other standard therapies for FIGO stage IIIC-IV EOC, FTC, and PPSC are warranted.

Is the anchor matter? A short-term follow-up of the effect of mini-invasive mid urethra sling without anchor for urinary incontinence women.

OBJECTIVE: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common disease in aged women, and some of them need surgical correction. Recently, the mid-urethral sling is an accepted surgical approach for SUI. However, complication may occur in this surgery, and some of them are needle-related. Therefore, the needleless system may diminish this-type complication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the feasibility of women with SUI undergoing needleless sling surgery in 2017. Assessments were performed by two independent special urogynecologists before, during and post operation periods. We used a category-time-site-pain code following the International Continence Society and International Urogynecological Association (ICS/IUGA) Complication Classification Code (CCC) guidelines. RESULTS: Thirty-eight women were analyzed. The characteristics of the patients were 66.3 ± 12.8 years old (mean ± standard deviation) of age, 2.8 ± 1.2 of parity, and 25.6 ± 4.2 kg/m2 of body mass index. All had history of vaginal delivery for term. The objective cure rate at 2- and 4-week follow-up was 97.4% (n = 37) and 94.7% (n = 36), respectively. The subjective cure rate at 2- and 4-week follow-up was both 89.5% (n = 34). Both objective and subjective cure rates remained constant and similar to the end of 4 weeks. There were 6 patients (15.8%) who had complications according to ICS/IUGA CCC guidelines. CONCLUSION: This needleless mid-urethral sling procedure seemed to be feasible in the management of women with SUI in this small series and short-term follow-up study, suggesting that a further prospective, randomized, comparative study with other tension-free procedures and mini-sling systems can be conducted.

Pain after laparoscopic surgery: Focus on shoulder-tip pain after gynecological laparoscopic surgery.

Laparoscopy, one of minimally invasive procedures, is a commonly used procedure in diagnosis and management of various kinds of clinical problems, including gynecologic organ-related diseases. Compared with conventional exploratory laparotomy, the benefits of laparoscopic surgery include reduction of surgical wound, decreasing in postoperative pain, shortening hospital stay, rapid recovery, and a better cosmetic result. However, there are still up to 80% of patients after laparoscopic surgery complaining of high levels of pain and needing pain relief. Postlaparoscopic pain can be separated into distinct causes, such as surgical trauma- or incision wound-associated inflammatory change, and pneumoperitoneum (carbon dioxide [CO2])-related morphological and biochemical changes of peritoneum and diaphragm. The latter is secondary to irritation, stretching, and foreign body stimulation, leading to phrenic neuropraxia and subsequent shoulder-tip pain (STP). STP is the most typical unpleasant experience of patients after laparoscopic surgery. There are at least 11 strategies available to attempt to decrease postlaparoscopic STP, including (1) the use of an alternative insufflating gas in place of CO2, (2) the use of low-pressure pneumoperitoneum in place of standard-pressure pneumoperitoneum, (3) the use of warmed or warmed and humidified CO2, (4) gasless laparoscopy, (5) subdiaphragmatic intraperitoneal anesthesia, (6) local intraperitoneal anesthesia, (7) actively expelling out of gas, (8) intraperitoneal drainage, (9) fluid instillation, (10) pulmonary recruitment maneuvers, and (11) others and combination. The present article is limited in discussing postlaparoscopic STP. We extensively review published articles to provide a better strategy to reduce postlaparoscopic STP.