Gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnancies conceived after infertility treatment: a population-based study in the United States, 2015-2020.

Objective: To evaluate the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in singleton pregnancies conceived using infertility treatment and examine the influence of race and ethnicity as well as prepregnancy body mass index (BMI). Design: Cross-sectional study using the US vital records data of women that delivered singleton births. Setting: United States, 2015-2020. Interventions: Any infertility treatment was divided into two groups: those that used fertility-enhancing drugs, artificial insemination, or intrauterine insemination, and those that used assisted reproductive technology (ART). Main Outcome Measuress: Gestational diabetes mellitus, defined as a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy, includes both diet-controlled GDM and medication-controlled GDM in singleton pregnancies conceived with infertility treatment or spontaneously and delivered between 20- and 44-weeks' gestation. We also examined whether the infertility treatment-GDM association was modified by maternal race and ethnicity as well as prepregnancy BMI. Associations were expressed as a rate ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), derived from log-linear models after adjustment for potential confounders. Results: A total of 21,943,384 singleton births were included, with 1.5% (n = 318,086) undergoing infertility treatment. Rates of GDM among women undergoing infertility treatment and those who conceived spontaneously were 11.0% (n = 34,946) and 6.5% (n = 1,398,613), respectively (adjusted RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.23, 1.26). The RRs were adjusted for maternal age, parity, education, race and ethnicity, smoking, BMI, chronic hypertension, and year of delivery. The risk of GDM was modestly increased for those using fertility-enhancing drugs (adjusted RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.27, 1.30) compared with ART (adjusted RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.17, 1.20), and this risk was especially apparent for non-Hispanic White women (adjusted RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.26, 1.31) and Hispanic women (adjusted RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.29, 1.41). The number of women who needed to be exposed to infertility treatment to diagnose one case of GDM was 46. Prepregnancy BMI did not modify the infertility treatment-GDM association overall and within strata of race and ethnicity. These general patterns were stronger after potential corrections for misclassification of infertility treatment and unmeasured confounding. Conclusions: Infertility treatment, among those who received fertility-enhancing drugs, is associated with an increased GDM risk. The persistently higher risk of GDM among women who seek infertility treatment, irrespective of prepregnancy weight classification, deserves attention. Infertility specialists must be vigilant with preconception counseling and ensure that all patients, regardless of race and ethnicity or BMI, are adequately tested for GDM early in pregnancy using a fasting blood glucose level or a traditional 50-g oral glucose tolerance test. Testing may be completed by the infertility specialist or deferred to the primary prenatal care provider at the first prenatal visit.

Maternal mortality in the United States: are the high and rising rates due to changes in obstetrical factors, maternal medical conditions, or maternal mortality surveillance?

BACKGROUND: National Vital Statistics System reports show that maternal mortality rates in the United States have nearly doubled, from 17.4 in 2018 to 32.9 per 100,000 live births in 2021. However, these high and rising rates could reflect issues unrelated to obstetrical factors, such as changes in maternal medical conditions or maternal mortality surveillance (eg, due to introduction of the pregnancy checkbox). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess if the high and rising rates of maternal mortality in the United States reflect changes in obstetrical factors, maternal medical conditions, or maternal mortality surveillance. STUDY DESIGN: The study was based on all deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2021. Maternal deaths were identified using the following 2 approaches: (1) per National Vital Statistics System methodology, as deaths in pregnancy or in the postpartum period, including deaths identified solely because of a positive pregnancy checkbox, and (2) under an alternative formulation, as deaths in pregnancy or in the postpartum period, with at least 1 mention of pregnancy among the multiple causes of death on the death certificate. The frequencies of major cause-of-death categories among deaths of female patients aged 15 to 44 years, maternal deaths, deaths due to obstetrical causes (ie, direct obstetrical deaths), and deaths due to maternal medical conditions aggravated by pregnancy or its management (ie, indirect obstetrical deaths) were quantified. RESULTS: Maternal deaths, per National Vital Statistics System methodology, increased by 144% (95% confidence interval, 130-159) from 9.65 in 1999-2002 (n=1550) to 23.6 per 100,000 live births in 2018-2021 (n=3489), with increases occurring among all race and ethnicity groups. Direct obstetrical deaths increased from 8.41 in 1999-2002 to 14.1 per 100,000 live births in 2018-2021, whereas indirect obstetrical deaths increased from 1.24 to 9.41 per 100,000 live births: 38% of direct obstetrical deaths and 87% of indirect obstetrical deaths in 2018-2021 were identified because of a positive pregnancy checkbox. The pregnancy checkbox was associated with increases in less specific and incidental causes of death. For example, maternal deaths with malignant neoplasms listed as a multiple cause of death increased 46-fold from 0.03 in 1999-2002 to 1.42 per 100,000 live births in 2018-2021. Under the alternative formulation, the maternal mortality rate was 10.2 in 1999-2002 and 10.4 per 100,000 live births in 2018-2021; deaths from direct obstetrical causes decreased from 7.05 to 5.82 per 100,000 live births. Deaths due to preeclampsia, eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, puerperal sepsis, venous complications, and embolism decreased, whereas deaths due to adherent placenta, renal and unspecified causes, cardiomyopathy, and preexisting hypertension increased. Maternal mortality increased among non-Hispanic White women and decreased among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic women. However, rates were disproportionately higher among non-Hispanic Black women, with large disparities evident in several causes of death (eg, cardiomyopathy). CONCLUSION: The high and rising rates of maternal mortality in the United States are a consequence of changes in maternal mortality surveillance, with reliance on the pregnancy checkbox leading to an increase in misclassified maternal deaths. Identifying maternal deaths by requiring mention of pregnancy among the multiple causes of death shows lower, stable maternal mortality rates and declines in maternal deaths from direct obstetrical causes.

Assessing the applicability of obstetrical randomized controlled trials in real-world practices.

This article examines the applicability of obstetrical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the real-world and proposes a classification of the value of these trials based on their potential for achieving sustainable practices. In the context of this discussion, real-world results pertain to the potential impact of the RCT on sustainable interventions and practices, and its implications for healthcare practice or policy, in the country (or countries) that was conducted. While RCTs are generally regarded as the gold standard of medical evidence, their effectiveness in producing meaningful real-world results depends, among various other factors, on the clarity and specificity of the trial definitions used for diagnosis (characteristics of the study group or enrollment criteria) and treatment (intervention). The definitions used for diagnosis and treatment, especially in pragmatic trials, can influence the likelihood for real-world implementation. By analyzing notable obstetrical RCTs, the authors find that trials with well-defined diagnoses and treatments that can be implemented without specialized expertise are more likely to generate results that are relevant to general practice, indicating higher value. In contrast, RCTs with ambiguous or undefined diagnoses and treatments often lead to variations in practice and produce unreliable real-world outcomes and practices suggesting lower value. Recognizing this variability can offer valuable guidance for the design and evaluation of RCTs in obstetrics.

Pregnancy-associated mortality due to cardiovascular disease: Impact of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Reported rates of maternal mortality in the United States have been staggeringly high and increasing, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a chief contributor to such deaths. However, the impact of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) on the short-term risk of cardiovascular death is not well understood. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between HDP (chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and superimposed preeclampsia) and pregnancy-associated mortality rates (PMR) from all causes, CVD-related causes both at delivery and within 1 year following delivery. METHODS: We used the Nationwide Readmissions Database (2010-2018) to examine PMRs for females 15-54 years old. International Classification of Disease 9 and 10 diagnosis codes were used to identify pregnancy-associated deaths due to HDP and CVD. Discrete-time Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mortality at delivery (0 days) and at <30, <60, <90, <180, and <365 days after delivery in relation to HDP. RESULTS: Of 33,417,736 hospital deliveries, the rate of HDP was 11.0% (n = 3,688,967), and the PMR from CVD was 6.4 per 100,000 delivery hospitalisations (n = 2141). Compared with normotensive patients, HRs for CVD-related PMRs increased with HDP severity, reaching over 58-fold for eclampsia patients. HRs were higher for stroke-related (1.2 to 170.9) than heart disease (HD)-related (0.99 to 39.8) mortality across all HDPs. Except for gestational hypertension, the increased risks of CVD mortality were evident at delivery and persisted 1 year postpartum for all HDPs. CONCLUSIONS: HDPs are strong risk factors for pregnancy-associated mortality due to CVD at delivery and within 1 year postpartum; the risks are stronger for stroke than HD-related PMR. While absolute PMRs are low, this study supports the importance of extending postpartum care beyond the traditional 42-day postpartum visit for people whose pregnancies are complicated by hypertension.

Infertility treatment is associated with increased risk of postpartum hospitalization due to heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of maternal mortality, but the extent to which infertility treatment is implicated in heart disease remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between infertility treatment and postpartum heart disease. METHODS: We designed a retrospective cohort study of patients who delivered in the United States between 2010 and 2018. The primary outcome was hospitalization within 12-month post-delivery due to heart disease (including ischemic heart disease, atherosclerotic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, hypertensive disease, heart failure, and cardiac dysrhythmias). We estimated the rate difference (RD) of hospitalizations among patients who conceived with infertility treatment and those who conceived spontaneously. Associations were expressed as hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), derived from Cox proportional hazards regression after adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS: Infertility treatment was recorded in 0.9% (n = 287,813) of 31,339,991 deliveries. Rates of heart disease hospitalizations with infertility treatment and with spontaneous conception were 550 and 355 per 100,000, respectively (RD 195, 95% CI: 143-247; adjusted HR 1.99, 95% CI: 1.80-2.20). The most important increase in risk was observed for hypertensive disease (adjusted HR 2.16, 95% CI: 1.92-2.42). This increased risk was apparent as early as 30-day post-delivery (HR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.39-1.86), with progressively increasing risk up to a year. CONCLUSIONS: Although the absolute risk of postpartum heart disease hospitalization is low, infertility treatment is associated with an increased risk, especially for hypertensive disease. These findings highlight the importance of timely postpartum follow-ups in patients who received infertility treatment.

Maternal Smoking and Risk of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: Effect Modification by Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain.

BACKGROUND: Although smoking cigarettes has been shown to have a protective effect on preeclampsia, quitting smoking also results in weight gain. Weight gain leading to an obese body mass index is a risk factor for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). METHODS: The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between smoking status, body mass index, and gestational weight gain on the risk of HDP. A cross-sectional analysis was performed utilizing US birth certificate data. We examined HDP risks in relation to maternal smoking, body mass index, and gestational weight gain. Associations were expressed as rate ratios with 95% CIs and adjusted for potential confounders. Clinically important outcomes of smoking throughout pregnancy were also evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 22 191 568 women studied, HDP rates among nonsmokers, those who quit smoking, and persistent smokers were 6.8%, 8.6%, and 7.0%, respectively. The rate ratio of HDP was higher for women who quit smoking, especially evident among those with excessive gestational weight gain. Corrections for exposure misclassification and unmeasured confounding strengthened the associations among women who quit smoking. There was an almost 6-fold increase in the rate of stillbirth for persistent smokers (2.3%) compared with those who quit smoking (0.4%) and nonsmokers (0.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Women who quit smoking during pregnancy were more likely to gain excessive weight and develop HDP. Although quitting smoking during pregnancy may be associated with an increase in the risk of HDP, it is also associated with a reduced risk of stillbirth. Pregnant women counseled to quit smoking should also receive counseling on nutrition and exercise to prevent excessive gestational weight gain.

Temporal changes in pre-existing health conditions five years prior to pregnancy in British Columbia, Canada, 2000-2019.

BACKGROUND: Pre-existing health conditions increase the risk of obstetric complications during pregnancy and birth. However, the prevalence and recent changes in the frequency of pre-existing health conditions in the childbearing population remain unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the temporal changes in the prevalence of pre-existing health conditions among pregnant women in British Columbia, Canada. METHODS: We carried out a population-based cross-sectional study of 825,203 deliveries in BC between 2000 and 2019 and examined 17 categories of physical and psychiatric health conditions recorded within 5 years before childbirth. We also undertook age-period-cohort analyses to evaluate temporal changes in pre-existing health conditions. RESULTS: The prevalence of any pre-existing health condition was 26.2% (n = 216,214) with overall trends remaining stable during the study period. Between 2000 and 2019, the prevalence rates of anxiety (5.6%-9.6%), bipolar (1.6%-3.4%), psychosis (0.7%-0.8%), and eating disorders (0.2%-0.3%) increased. The prevalence of hypertension increased sharply from 0.06% in 2000 to 0.3% in 2019. Diabetes mellitus and stroke rates increased, as did the prevalence of systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis, and chronic kidney disease. Advanced maternal age was strongly associated with both psychiatric and circulatory/metabolic conditions. A strong birth cohort effect was evident, with rates of psychiatric conditions increasing among women born after 1985. CONCLUSIONS: In British Columbia, Canada, 1 in 4 mothers had a pre-existing health condition 5 years prior to pregnancy. These findings underscore the need for multi-disciplinary care for women with pre-existing health conditions to improve maternal, foetal, and infant health.

Placental Abruption and Cardiovascular Event Risk (PACER): Design, data linkage, and preliminary findings.

BACKGROUND: Obstetrical complications impact the health of mothers and offspring along the life course, resulting in an increased burden of chronic diseases. One specific complication is abruption, a life-threatening condition with consequences for cardiovascular health that remains poorly studied. OBJECTIVES: To describe the design and data linkage algorithms for the Placental Abruption and Cardiovascular Event Risk (PACER) cohort. POPULATION: All subjects who delivered in New Jersey, USA, between 1993 and 2020. DESIGN: Retrospective, population-based, birth cohort study. METHODS: We linked the vital records data of foetal deaths and live births to delivery and all subsequent hospitalisations along the life course for birthing persons and newborns. The linkage was based on a probabilistic record-matching algorithm. PRELIMINARY RESULTS: Over the 28 years of follow-up, we identified 1,877,824 birthing persons with 3,093,241 deliveries (1.1%, n = 33,058 abruption prevalence). The linkage rates for live births-hospitalisations and foetal deaths-hospitalisations were 92.4% (n = 2,842,012) and 70.7% (n = 13,796), respectively, for the maternal cohort. The corresponding linkage rate for the live births-hospitalisations for the offspring cohort was 70.3% (n = 2,160,736). The median (interquartile range) follow-up for the maternal and offspring cohorts was 15.4 (8.1, 22.4) and 14.4 (7.4, 21.0) years, respectively. We will undertake multiple imputations for missing data and develop inverse probability weights to account for selection bias owing to unlinked records. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy offers a unique window to study chronic diseases along the life course and efforts to identify the aetiology of abruption may provide important insights into the causes of future CVD. This project presents an unprecedented opportunity to understand how abruption may predispose women and their offspring to develop CVD complications and chronic conditions later in life.

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stillbirths in Canada and the United States.

OBJECTIVE: There is uncertainty regarding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on population rates of stillbirth. We quantified pandemic-associated changes in stillbirth rates in Canada and the United States. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective study that included all live births and stillbirths in Canada and the United States from 2015 to 2020. The primary analysis was based on all stillbirths and live births at ≥20 weeks gestation. Stillbirth rates were analyzed by month, with March 2020 considered to be the month of pandemic onset. Interrupted time series analyses were used to determine pandemic effects. RESULTS: The study population included 18,475 stillbirths and 2,244,240 live births in Canada and 134,883 stillbirths and 22,963,356 live births in the United States (8.2 and 5.8 stillbirths per 1,000 total births, respectively). In Canada, pandemic onset was associated with an increase in stillbirths at ≥20 weeks gestation of 1.01 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56-1.46) per 1,000 total births and an increase in stillbirths at ≥28 weeks gestation of 0.35 (95% CI 0.16-0.54) per 1,000 total births. In the United States, pandemic onset was associated with an increase in stillbirths at ≥20 weeks gestation of 0.48 (95% CI 0.22-0.75) per 1,000 total births and an increase in stillbirths at ≥28 weeks gestation of 0.22 (95% CI 0.12-0.32) per 1,000 total births. The increase in stillbirths at pandemic onset returned to pre-pandemic levels in subsequent months. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic's onset was associated with a transitory increase in stillbirth rates in Canada and the United States.

Chronic Hypertension and the Risk of Readmission for Postpartum Cardiovascular Complications.

OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD, including heart disease and stroke) along the life course. However, whether exposure to chronic hypertension in pregnancy, in the absence of preeclampsia, is implicated in CVD risk during the immediate postpartum period remains poorly understood. Our objective was to estimate the risk of readmission for CVD complications within the calendar year after delivery for people with chronic hypertension. METHODS: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Readmission Database (2010-2018) was used to conduct a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 15-54 years. International Classification of Diseases codes were used to identify patients with chronic hypertension and postpartum readmission for CVD complications within 1 year of delivery. People with CVD diagnosed during pregnancy or delivery admission, multiple births, or preeclampsia or eclampsia were excluded. Excess rates of CVD readmission among patients with and without chronic hypertension were estimated. Associations between chronic hypertension and CVD complications were determined from Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: Of 27,395,346 delivery hospitalizations that resulted in singleton births, 2.0% of individuals had chronic hypertension (n=544,639). The CVD hospitalization rate among patients with chronic hypertension and normotensive patients was 645 (n=3,791) per 100,000 delivery hospitalizations and 136 (n=37,664) per 100,000 delivery hospitalizations, respectively (rate difference 508, 95% CI 467-549; adjusted hazard ratio 4.11, 95% CI 3.64-4.66). The risk of CVD readmission, in relation to chronic hypertension, persisted for 1 year after delivery. CONCLUSION: The heightened CVD risk as early as 1 month postpartum in relation to chronic hypertension underscores the need for close monitoring and timely care after delivery to reduce blood pressure and related complications.

Obstetric Intervention and Perinatal Outcomes During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify pandemic-related changes in obstetric intervention and perinatal outcomes in the United States. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective study of all live births and fetal deaths in the United States, 2015-2021, with data obtained from the natality, fetal death, and linked live birth-infant death files of the National Center for Health Statistics. Analyses were carried out among all singletons; singletons of patients with prepregnancy diabetes, prepregnancy hypertension, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy; and twins. Outcomes of interest included preterm birth, preterm labor induction or preterm cesarean delivery, macrosomia, postterm birth, and perinatal death. Interrupted time series analyses were used to estimate changes in the prepandemic period (January 2015-February 2020), at pandemic onset (March 2020), and in the pandemic period (March 2020-December 2021). RESULTS: The study population included 26,604,392 live births and 155,214 stillbirths. The prepandemic period was characterized by temporal increases in preterm birth and preterm labor induction or cesarean delivery rates and temporal reductions in macrosomia, postterm birth, and perinatal mortality. Pandemic onset was associated with absolute decreases in preterm birth (decrease of 0.322/100 live births, 95% CI 0.506-0.139) and preterm labor induction or cesarean delivery (decrease of 0.190/100 live births, 95% CI 0.334-0.047) and absolute increases in macrosomia (increase of 0.046/100 live births), postterm birth (increase of 0.015/100 live births), and perinatal death (increase of 0.501/1,000 total births, 95% CI 0.220-0.783). These changes were larger in subpopulations at high risk (eg, among singletons of patients with prepregnancy diabetes). Among singletons of patients with prepregnancy diabetes, pandemic onset was associated with a decrease in preterm birth (decrease of 1.634/100 live births) and preterm labor induction or cesarean delivery (decrease of 1.521/100 live births) and increases in macrosomia (increase of 0.328/100 live births) and perinatal death (increase of 9.840/1,000 total births, 95% CI 3.933-15.75). Most changes were reversed in the months after pandemic onset. CONCLUSION: The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was associated with a transient decrease in obstetric intervention (especially preterm labor induction or cesarean delivery) and a transient increase in perinatal mortality.

Risk of Stroke Hospitalization After Infertility Treatment.

Importance: Stroke accounts for 7% of pregnancy-related deaths in the US. As the use of infertility treatment is increasing, many studies have sought to characterize the association of infertility treatment with the risk of stroke with mixed results. Objective: To evaluate the risk of hospitalization from hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes in patients who underwent infertility treatment. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based, retrospective cohort study used data abstracted from the Nationwide Readmissions Database, which stores data from all-payer hospital inpatient stays from 28 states across the US, from 2010 and 2018. Eligible participants included individuals aged 15 to 54 who had a hospital delivery from January to November in a given calendar year, and any subsequent hospitalizations from January to December in the same calendar year of delivery during the study period. Statistical analysis was performed between November 2022 and April 2023. Exposure: Hospital delivery after infertility treatment (ie, intrauterine insemination, assisted reproductive technology, fertility preservation procedures, or use of a gestational carrier) or after spontaneous conception. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was hospitalization for nonfatal stroke (either ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke) within the first calendar year after delivery. Secondary outcomes included risk of stroke hospitalization at less than 30 days, less than 60 days, less than 90 days, and less than 180 days post partum. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate associations, which were expressed as hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted for confounders. Effect size estimates were corrected for biases due to exposure misclassification, selection, and unmeasured confounding through a probabilistic bias analysis. Results: Of 31 339 991 patients, 287 813 (0.9%; median [IQR] age, 32.1 [28.5-35.8] years) underwent infertility treatment and 31 052 178 (99.1%; median [IQR] age, 27.7 [23.1-32.0] years) delivered after spontaneous conception. The rate of stroke hospitalization within 12 months of delivery was 37 hospitalizations per 100 000 people (105 patients) among those who received infertility treatment and 29 hospitalizations per 100 000 people (9027 patients) among those who delivered after spontaneous conception (rate difference, 8 hospitalizations per 100 000 people; 95% CI, -6 to 21 hospitalizations per 100 000 people; HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.17 to 2.35). The risk of hospitalization for hemorrhagic stroke (adjusted HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.13 to 3.61) was greater than that for ischemic stroke (adjusted HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.01 to 2.39). The risk of stroke hospitalization increased as the time between delivery and hospitalization for stroke increased, particularly for hemorrhagic strokes. In general, these associations became larger for hemorrhagic stroke and smaller for ischemic stroke following correction for biases. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, infertility treatment was associated with an increased risk of stroke-related hospitalization within 12 months of delivery; this risk was evident as early as 30 days after delivery. Timely follow-up in the immediate days post partum and continued long-term follow-up should be considered to mitigate stroke risk.

Placental abruption at near-term and term gestations: pathophysiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and management.

Placental abruption is the premature separation of the placenta from its uterine attachment before the delivery of a fetus. The clinical manifestations of abruption typically include vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain with a wide variety of abnormal fetal heart rate patterns. Clinical challenges arise when pregnant people with this condition present with profound vaginal bleeding, necessitating urgent delivery, especially when there is a concern for maternal and fetal compromise and coagulopathy. Abruption occurs in 0.6% to 1.2% of all pregnancies, with nearly half of abruption occurring at term gestations. An exposition of abruption at near-term (defined as the late preterm period from 34 0/7 to 36 6/7 weeks of gestation) and term (defined as ≥37 weeks of gestation) provides unique insights into its direct effects, as risks associated with preterm birth do not impact outcomes. Here, we explore the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and diagnosis of abruption. We discuss the interaction of chronic processes (decidual and uteroplacental vasculopathy) and acute processes (shearing forces applied to the abdomen) that underlie the pathophysiology. Risk factors for abruption and strengths of association are summarized. Sonographic findings of abruption and fetal heart rate tracings are presented. In addition, we propose a management algorithm for acute abruption that incorporates blood loss, vital signs, and urine output, among other factors. Lastly, we discuss blood component therapy, viscoelastic point-of-care testing, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, and management of abruption complicated by fetal death. The review seeks to provide comprehensive, clinically focused guidance during a gestational age range when neonatal outcomes can often be favorable if rapid and evidence-based care is optimized.

Epidemiologic trends and risk factors associated with the decline in mortality from coronary heart disease in the United States, 1990-2019.

BACKGROUND: Despite the decline in the rate of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, it is unknown how the 3 strong and modifiable risk factors - alcohol, smoking, and obesity -have impacted these trends. We examine changes in CHD mortality rates in the United States and estimate the preventable fraction of CHD deaths by eliminating CHD risk factors. METHODS: We performed a sequential time-series analysis to examine mortality trends among females and males aged 25 to 84 years in the United States, 1990-2019, with CHD recorded as the underlying cause of death. We also examined mortality rates from chronic ischemic heart disease (IHD), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and atherosclerotic heart disease (AHD). All underlying causes of CHD deaths were classified based on the International Classification of Disease 9th and 10th revisions. We estimated the preventable fraction of CHD deaths attributable to alcohol, smoking, and high body-mass index (BMI) through the Global Burden of Disease. RESULTS: Among females (3,452,043 CHD deaths; mean [standard deviation, SD] age 49.3 [15.7] years), the age-standardized CHD mortality rate declined from 210.5 in 1990 to 66.8 per 100,000 in 2019 (annual change -4.04%, 95% CI -4.05, -4.03; incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.32, 95% CI, 0.41, 0.43). Among males (5,572,629 CHD deaths; mean [SD] age 47.9 [15.1] years), the age-standardized CHD mortality rate declined from 442.4 to 156.7 per 100,000 (annual change -3.74%, 95% CI, -3.75, -3.74; IRR 0.36, 95% CI, 0.35, 0.37). A slowing of the decline in CHD mortality rates among younger cohorts was evident. Correction for unmeasured confounders through a quantitative bias analysis slightly attenuated the decline. Half of all CHD deaths could have been prevented with the elimination of smoking, alcohol, and obesity, including 1,726,022 female and 2,897,767 male CHD deaths between 1990 and 2019. CONCLUSIONS: The decline in CHD mortality is slowing among younger cohorts. The complex dynamics of risk factors appear to shape mortality rates, underscoring the importance of targeted strategies to reduce modifiable risk factors that contribute to CHD mortality.