Antepartum fibrinogen concentration as a predictor of bleeding complications.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the predictive value of fibrinogen concentration for bleeding complications among women presenting for delivery and for whom a fibrinogen level was measured before delivery. STUDY DESIGN: This was a nested case-control study using a cohort of all women who delivered at our institution from October 2001 to July 2016 and in whom a fibrinogen concentration was obtained within 48 hours before delivery. We identified all cases that had one or more of the following events: (1) postpartum hemorrhage; (2) postpartum hysterectomy; (3) transfusion of select blood products; or (4) a ≥ 33% decrease in hematocrit from the first hematocrit measured during the hospital stay to any subsequent hematocrit value drawn either simultaneously with or following the fibrinogen concentration measurement. We included the first case or control delivery for a given woman. Controls were the next one or two consecutive deliveries without a bleeding complication and matched for number of fetuses. We used logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals and calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: We identified 424 cases and 801 controls. The mean predelivery fibrinogen concentration was significantly lower in cases (425 ± 170 mg/dL) than controls (523 ± 122 ng/mL) for all case types combined (p < .001) and for each case type individually (all p < .001). For every 100-mg/dL decrease in fibrinogen, the odds of a bleeding complication increased 1.63 times (95% confidence interval: 1.48-1.80). However, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was poor (0.69; 95% confidence interval: 0.65-0.72). Below 300 mg/dL there were 104 (24.5%) cases and 31 (3.9%) controls, yielding high specificity (96.1%) but extremely low sensitivity (24.5%). We could not identify a cutoff value that yielded acceptable values of both sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Antepartum fibrinogen concentration was significantly lower among women who developed bleeding complications, though these differences may not be large enough to provide clinically meaningful critical values. Nevertheless, a higher threshold for the critical value during pregnancy should be considered.

National Partnership for Maternal Safety: Consensus Bundle on Support After a Severe Maternal Event.

Supporting women, families, and clinicians with information, emotional support, and health care resources should be part of an institutional response after a severe maternal event. A multidisciplinary approach is needed for an effective response during and after the event. As a member of the maternity care team, the nurse's role includes coordination, documentation, and ensuring patient safety in emergency situations. The National Partnership for Maternal Safety, under the guidance of the Council on Patient Safety in Women's Health Care, has developed interprofessional work groups to develop safety bundles on diverse topics. This article provides the rationale and supporting evidence for the support after a severe maternal event bundle, which includes structure- and evidence-based resources for women, families, and maternity care providers. The bundle is organized into four domains: Readiness, Recognition, Response, and Reporting and Systems Learning, and it may be adapted by nurses and multidisciplinary leaders in birthing facilities for implementation as a standardized approach to providing support for everyone involved in a severe maternal event.

Recent trends in simulation for obstetric anesthesia.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The use of simulation in medicine has grown significantly over the past 2 decades. Simulation in obstetric anesthesia can be divided into four broad uses: technical skills, nontechnical or teamwork skills, individual clinical competence, and the safety of the clinical environment. This review will describe recent trends in the use of simulation in several of these categories. RECENT FINDINGS: Simulation continues to be an important part of skills (technical and cognitive) and teamwork training in obstetric anesthesia. The acquisition of simple and complex technical skills appears to be improved with the use of simulation. However, the assessment of these skills is currently done in the simulated environment. Simulation is also important in assessing and enhancing the safety of a labor unit. Two simulation trends have recently evolved. Instructional articles describing how to best perform simulation have begun to appear. In addition, several review articles have been published that demonstrate the maturation of the body of research in this field. SUMMARY: As the use of simulation continues to grow, research should concentrate on whether anesthesia or teamwork skills learned in the simulated environment change behavior and improve outcomes in the clinical setting. More instructional publications would also facilitate the growth into more clinical environments.

Focused review: simulation in obstetric anesthesia.

Simulation can be used to teach technical skills, to evaluate clinician performance, to help assess the safety of the environment of care, and to improve teamwork. Each of these has been successfully demonstrated in obstetric anesthesia simulation. Task simulators for epidural placement, failed intubation, and blood loss estimation seem to improve performance. Resident performance in an emergency cesarean delivery can be measured and assessed against his/her peers. Running simulated crises on a labor and delivery unit (in situ drills) can help to identify and correct potential safety concerns (latent errors) without exposing patients to the risks associated with these concerns. Finally, simulation can effectively assess and teach teamwork tools and behaviors. It is unclear, however, how well the lessons learned in the simulated environment translate into improved behaviors or better care in the clinical setting, or whether simulation improves patient outcomes. More research is needed to help answer these questions.

A novel actuator for simulation of epidural anesthesia and other needle insertion procedures.

INTRODUCTION: When navigating a needle from skin to epidural space, a skilled clinician maintains a mental model of the anatomy and uses the various forms of haptic and visual feedback to track the location of the needle tip. Simulating the procedure requires an actuator that can produce the feel of tissue layers even as the needle direction changes from the ideal path. METHODS: A new actuator and algorithm architecture simulate forces associated with passing a needle through varying tissue layers. The actuator uses a set of cables to suspend a needle holder. The cables are wound onto spools controlled by brushless motors. An electromagnetic tracker is used to monitor the position of the needle tip. RESULTS: Novice and expert clinicians simulated epidural insertion with the simulator. Preliminary depth-time curves show that the user responds to changes in tissue properties as the needle is advanced. Some discrepancy in clinician response indicates that the feel of the simulator is sensitive to technique, thus perfect tissue property simulation has not been achieved. CONCLUSIONS: The new simulator is able to approximately reproduce properties of complex multilayer tissue structures, including fine-scale texture. Methods for improving fidelity of the simulation are identified.

Spinal cord stimulation and the pregnant patient-specific considerations for management: A case series and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVES: The use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a form of neuromodulation used to treat chronic pain in those patients who are refractory to conventional medical management. Not uncommonly, SCS can dramatically improve a patient's quality of life, and those who are in the childbearing years may go on to become pregnant. The purpose of this case series is to describe: 1) implantation considerations in women of childbearing age; 2) use of rechargeable systems; 3) the obstetric and anesthetic concerns in patients with spinal cord stimulators; 4) risks of using SCS in the peripartum period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two female patients with complex regional pain syndrome I (CRPS I) who were well managed with SCS became pregnant. In both patients, the leads were placed through the T12/L1 interspace and the generator was placed in the buttock region. In the first patient, the device was deactivated prior to conception and maintained off for the duration of the pregnancy. The second patient became pregnant on two separate occasions, with active SCS for a portion of the first trimester. During her second pregnancy, the patient elected to use of SCS at 30 weeks' gestation. RESULTS: The developing fetuses with intrauterine exposure to SCS were followed out for a minimum of two years and are developmentally normal. The physical presence of the device did not complicate obstetric or anesthetic care. Rechargeable SCS systems were not adversely affected when turned off for the duration of the pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Implantation of SCS devices in women of childbearing years should take into account the future needs of both obstetric and anesthetic care by avoiding the abdomen and lower lumbar spine whenever possible. There was no appreciable decline of battery capacity in present day constant current rechargeable generators when deactivated for the duration of pregnancy.

Team approach to care in labor and delivery.

Changing to a teamwork culture in labor and delivery requires a real commitment. The skills involved can be taught to all healthcare providers. The benefits of a teamwork culture may include improved patient outcomes, less medical errors, and improved patient and staff satisfaction. Malpractice claim reduction may possibly occur through these improved outcomes and better communication with our patients.

Effects of teamwork training on adverse outcomes and process of care in labor and delivery: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of teamwork training on the occurrence of adverse outcomes and process of care in labor and delivery. METHODS: A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted at seven intervention and eight control hospitals. The intervention was a standardized teamwork training curriculum based on crew resource management that emphasized communication and team structure. The primary outcome was the proportion of deliveries at 20 weeks or more of gestation in which one or more adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes or both occurred (Adverse Outcome Index). Additional outcomes included 11 clinical process measures. RESULTS: A total of 1,307 personnel were trained and 28,536 deliveries analyzed. At baseline, there were no differences in demographic or delivery characteristics between the groups. The mean Adverse Outcome Index prevalence was similar in the control and intervention groups, both at baseline and after implementation of teamwork training (9.4% versus 9.0% and 7.2% versus 8.3%, respectively). The intracluster correlation coefficient was 0.015, with a resultant wide confidence interval for the difference in mean Adverse Outcome Index between groups (-5.6% to 3.2%). One process measure, the time from the decision to perform an immediate cesarean delivery to the incision, differed significantly after team training (33.3 minutes versus 21.2 minutes, P=.03). CONCLUSION: Training, as was conducted and implemented, did not transfer to a detectable impact in this study. The Adverse Outcome Index could be an important tool for comparing obstetric outcomes within and between institutions to help guide quality improvement. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: (www.ClinicalTrials.gov), NCT00381056 LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

Chloroprocaine may not affect epidural morphine for postcesarean delivery analgesia.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the independent effect of epidural chloroprocaine on morphine used for pain relief after cesarean delivery. DESIGN: We used a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: The study took place at the labor and delivery ward of an academic medical center. PATIENTS: Forty pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean delivery under spinal-epidural anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to receive either 150 mg of 3% chloroprocaine or placebo, followed by 3 mg of epidural morphine. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome for this investigation was the duration of pain relief after morphine administration, defined as the time at first use of supplemental opioids for analgesia. Secondary outcomes included pain scores, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, anesthetic sensory level, nausea and vomiting, pruritus, supplemental use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and satisfaction. MAIN RESULTS: The groups were similar in demographics and duration of spinal anesthesia. Using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of the duration of morphine analgesia, we found no difference between the groups (chloroprocaine, 1191 minutes, vs placebo, 1267 minutes, P = 0.52). There was no difference in pain scores or the need for supplemental analgesics. Side effects of epidural morphine were similar between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: We found that epidural chloroprocaine did not reduce the duration or effectiveness of postoperative analgesia from epidural morphine.

Small dose bupivacaine-fentanyl spinal analgesia combined with morphine for labor.

UNLABELLED: We investigated the duration of labor analgesia produced by a small dose of spinal bupivacaine/fentanyl alone or in combination with a small dose of morphine. Sixty parturients were enrolled in this placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized trial. All women received a spinal injection of 12.5 micro g of fentanyl with 2 mg of bupivacaine. The morphine group (MBF) also received 125 micro g of morphine; the placebo group (BF) received saline. Pain scores were <3 of 10 within 10 min of injection. The median duration of analgesia was similar between groups (89 min versus 84 min; P = not significant), and only 20% of the MBF group experienced prolonged analgesia. During subsequent epidural analgesia, the MBF group had a significantly lesser rate of breakthrough pain (0.15 +/- 0.14 episodes per hour versus 0.26 +/- 0.18 episodes per hour; P = 0.02). Also, during the first 24 h postpartum, the MBF group required significantly fewer medications (3.3 +/- 3.7 doses versus 4.7 +/- 3.5 doses; P = 0.04). Intrathecal injection of this small dose of bupivacaine/fentanyl produced a rapid onset of labor analgesia; the addition of a small dose of morphine did not significantly prolong analgesia, but it improved subsequent pain relief, as measured by the rate of breakthrough pain and postpartum medication requirements. This may provide a clinically useful means of improving intra- and postpartum pain relief. IMPLICATIONS: A small dose of intrathecal fentanyl 12.5 micro g and bupivacaine 2 mg produces effective labor analgesia lasting for approximately 85 min. The addition of a small 125- micro g dose of morphine improves pain control during subsequent epidural analgesia and reduces the requirements for postpartum pain medications.