Management practices for placenta accreta spectrum patients: a Latin American hospital survey.

INTRODUCTION: Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) causes severe morbidity and can result in maternal death. It must be managed in specialized centers with interdisciplinary groups, but few publications have described the usual management within a specific geographic region. We intend to describe the usual approach for PAS in reference centers in Latin America. METHODOLOGY: This was an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study conducted in Latin American PAS reference centers. A standardized survey was implemented and applied to obstetric service coordinators and leaders of interdisciplinary groups with experience in PAS between September and November 2020. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-four hospitals were included. Most of them (64.3%) handle approximately one case of PAS every two months, and almost all centers (89.6%) believe that their performance could be improved. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the reference centers for PAS in Latin America attend to a small number of cases each year, and almost all of these hospitals identify opportunities to improve the management or approach for PAS in women.

Nuevos retos en la protección de la vida y salud de las mujeres / New challenges in protecting women's life and health

Background: One of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is to reduce maternal mortality. Objective: To determine knowledge, attitudes and practices of health professionals regarding abortion. Design: Cross-sectional type of survey. Methods: During 2017, the Ecuadorian Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Society FESGO applied a survey to 132 health professionals to determine their knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding abortion. Results: We identified more nonpunishable abortion causes than those the law recognizes. The most frequent of these were rape (21%) and congenital malformations (13%). 83% of respondents agreed that law should allow ending a pregnancy if the woman's life were at risk and 46% if her health was at risk. 61% of them agreed if the fetus had a congenital malformation. In addition, 46% agreed if it was the product of rape of a disabled woman, 40% if it was the product of rape, and 28%, if it was product of an incest. In case of a disabled woman pregnant because of rape, 57% would give information on options for pregnancy interruption, and 26% would give information on the legal frame that allows pregnancy interruption. However, 23% would lie by saying that the country's legal frame does not allow pregnancy interruption. Conclusions: The survey reflects a wider perception on non-punishable abortion causatives than what the law recognizes. Nevertheless, 23% would indicate that the country's legal frame does not allow pregnancy interruption, contradicting the legal regulation that protects the woman's right to abortion access to protect her health and life. Barriers against the women's right to decide on her health persist.

Introducción. Uno de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible es reducir la mortalidad materna. Objetivo. Valorar los conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas de profesionales de la salud en relación con el aborto. Diseño. Estudio transversal tipo encuesta. Métodos. En el año 2017, FESGO aplicó una encuesta a 132 profesionales de la salud, para valorar sus conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas en relación con el aborto. Resultados. La encuesta reflejó una percepción más amplia de causales de aborto no punible que las que la ley reconoce, destacando la violación en 21% y las malformaciones congénitas en 13%. El 83% estaría de acuerdo que la ley permita la interrupción de un embarazo frente al riesgo para la vida de la mujer, 46% frente al riesgo de salud; 61% por malformaciones congénitas fetales, 46% en caso de violación a una mujer con discapacidad y 40% en la violación en general; 28%, en casos de incesto. En caso de una mujer con discapacidad embarazada por violación, el 57% señaló que le daría información sobre las opciones de interrupción. El 26% le daría información sobre el marco legal que le permite la interrupción del embarazo. Pero, el 23% le indicaría que el marco legal del país no permite la interrupción. Conclusiones. La encuesta refleja una percepción más amplia de causales de aborto no punible que las que la ley reconoce. Un 23% indicaría que el marco legal del país no permite la interrupción del embarazo, contradiciendo la norma legal que protege el derecho de esa mujer a acceder a un aborto para proteger su salud y su vida. Persisten barreras para garantizar el derecho de las mujeres a decidir sobre su salud.