Placenta accreta spectrum conservative management and coagulopathy: case series and systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Management of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) with the placenta kept in situ aims to preserve fertility and minimize blood loss. However, this method is itself associated with a risk of coagulopathy and subsequent bleeding. Our aim is to evaluate coagulopathy in cases of PAS managed conservatively and its pathophysiology. METHODS: We reviewed our database for cases of PAS where the placenta was kept in situ. In addition, we performed a systematic review of articles on PAS where the placenta was left in situ and was complicated by coagulopathy. PubMed was searched for publications between 1980 and 2023. Our eligibility criteria included studies where no additional interventions were performed other than keeping the placenta entirely in situ, and where coagulopathy was reported. RESULTS: After screening and full-text article selection, 10 studies were included in the review. A review of our databases yielded a case series of PAS managed conservatively with placenta in situ. When adding our case series to the results of our systematic review, a total of 87 cases were found to be managed conservatively, with 28 cases of coagulopathy. Of these, 11 cases had known time at which coagulopathy developed. The median time of coagulopathy was 58 (IQR=17) days post-delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight that conservative management with PAS in situ poses a risk of coagulopathy. Keeping the placenta in situ after delivery prolongs the risk factors that are integral to PAS. The pathophysiology behind coagulopathy is comparable to that of concealed placental abruption (CPA), due to the disrupted maternofetal interface and the collection of blood in the placenta. The presence of large placental lakes could thus be an indicator of developing coagulopathy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Factors that Influence Placement of Gastrostomy Tube in Infants with Complex Congenital Heart Disease: A Single Center Study.

BACKGROUND: Factors that determine the need for Gastrostomy tube (G-tube) placement in infants with complex congenital heart defects (CHD) are variable. We aim to identify factors that improve counseling of expectant parents regarding postnatal outcomes and management. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of medical record of infants with prenatal diagnoses of complex CHD between 2015-2019 in a single tertiary care center and assessed risk factors for G-tube placement with linear regression. RESULTS: Of the 105 eligible infants with complex CHD, 44 infants required G-tube (42%). No significant association was observed between G-tube placement and chromosomal abnormalities, cardiopulmonary bypass time or type of CHD. Median days on noninvasive ventilation (4 [IQR 2-12] vs. 3 [IQR 1-8], p = 0.035), time at which gavage-tube feeds were started postoperatively (3 [IQR 2-8] vs. 2 [IQR 0-4], p = 0.0013), time to reach full-volume gavage-tube feeds (6 [IQR 3-14] vs. 5 [IQR 0-8], p = 0.038) and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) (41 [IQR: 21 - 90] vs. 18 [IQR: 7 - 23], p < 0.01) were associated with G-tube placement. Infants with ICU LOS duration longer than median had almost 7 times the odds of requiring a G-tube (OR: 7.23, 95% CI: 2.71-19.32; by regression). CONCLUSIONS: Delay in initiation and in reaching full-volume gavage-tube feeds after cardiac surgery, increased number of days spent on non-invasive ventilation and in the ICU were found to be significant predictors for G-tube placement. The type of CHD and the need for cardiac surgery were not significant predictors for G-tube placement.