Placenta accreta: importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the Colombian hospital setting.

Introduction: The management of patients with placenta accreta (PA) poses a challenge to health services. Although it may lead to devastating complications, its low incidence limits the development of expertize in all obstetric centers. We evaluated the results obtained from a multidisciplinary approach in patients with PA in a Latin American hospital.Methods: The study included patients with prenatal suspicion or intraoperative diagnosis of PA, before and after initiating a set of interdisciplinary and institutional interventions, with the aim of achieving better outcomes.Results: From December 2011 to December 2017, 62 patients with prenatally or intraoperatively suspected PA underwent surgery. The first 30 women (Group A), admitted until April 2016 and before any changes in the management protocol, had a longer hospital stay and surgery time, higher newborn hospitalization, and greater use of general anesthesia, compared to the 20 patients from Group B, who were admitted during the last 20 months of the observation period. A total of 12 women with late and intraoperative diagnosis, under no institutional protocol, showed greater blood loss and more frequent red blood cell transfusions.Conclusions: The expertize of the multidisciplinary team responsible for managing women with PA is associated with better clinical outcomes.

Use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Surgical Site Infection During Pregnancy: A Case Study.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a known cause of morbidity and mortality; however, evidence related to management of SSIs during pregnancy is sparse. CASE: A 26-year-old female patient with an adnexal cystic lesion underwent laparotomy at 19 weeks of pregnancy. She experienced a late SSI 10 days after initial surgery, necessitating surgical debridement. She was treated with multiple surgical interventions for wound irrigations and wound closure assisted by a negative pressure wound therapy. CONCLUSION: Negative pressure wound therapy was used for treatment of an SSI during pregnancy without causing premature delivery or requiring a cesearan section.

Experience of a Colombian center in the endovascular management of lifethreatening postpartum hemorrhage / Experiencia de un centro colombiano en el tratamiento endovascular de la hemorragia posparto que amenaza la vida

Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage is a world-leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Lacerations are the second most frequent cause. Early management with appropriate treatment is essential to obtain adequate outcomes; the endovascular occlusion of pelvic vessels is among the management options. Objective: To describe the management experience with the arterial embolization of pelvic vessels. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective case series study based on the institutional registry of Fundación Valle del Lili (Cali, Colombia), which included patients with postpartum hemorrhage admitted between January 1st, 2011 and October 31st, 2016. Results: Out of 430 patients diagnosed with PPH, 11 were subject to embolization of pelvic vessels. Within our group, 10 patients had a vaginal delivery with severe vaginal lacerations; most of them (9 cases, 82%) were referred from other lower-complexity institutions after 20.5 hours. Occlusion was more frequent in the superior vaginal and the internal pudendal arteries. No patients showed complications associated with the procedure and only 2 showed recurrent bleeding while 3 required a hysterectomy, but no deaths occurred. Conclusion: Percutaneous management is a safe and effective third-line method for difficult-management bleedings control in patients with postpartum hemorrhage after a severe perineal tear. These results are similar to case reports published in the worldwide literature available to date.

Introducción. La hemorragia posparto es la primera causa de morbimortalidad materna en el mundo y las laceraciones son la segunda causa en frecuencia. Su tratamiento temprano y apropiado es clave para obtener buenos resultados, y la oclusión endovascular de los vasos pélvicos se cuenta entre las opciones terapéuticas. Objetivo. Describir la experiencia del tratamiento con la 'embolización' (sic) arterial de los vasos pélvicos. Materiales y métodos. Se trató de un estudio retrospectivo del tipo de serie de casos basado en el registro institucional de la Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia, en el que se incluyeron las pacientes con hemorragia posparto atendidas entre el 1º de enero del 2011 y el 31 de octubre del 2016. Resultados. De las 430 pacientes con diagnóstico de hemorragia posparto, 11 fueron sometidas a la 'embolización' de los vasos pélvicos. De este grupo, 10 pacientes tuvieron parto vaginal con laceraciones vaginales complejas, y la mayoría (9 casos, 82 %) fue remitida por otras instituciones de menor complejidad después de 20,5 horas. Las arterias ocluidas frecuentemente fueron la vaginal superior y la pudenda interna. Ninguna paciente presentó complicaciones asociadas al procedimiento y solo dos presentaron sangrado recurrente. Tres pacientes requirieron histerectomía y ninguna murió. Conclusión. El manejo percutáneo es un método de tercera línea, seguro y efectivo para el control de los sangrados de difícil manejo en las pacientes con hemorragia pospartopor desgarros perineales complejos. Estos resultados son similares a los reportados en la literatura científica mundial disponible hasta la fecha.

Experiencia de un centro colombiano en el tratamiento endovascular de la hemorragia posparto que amenaza la vida / Experience of a Colombian center in the endovascular management of life-threatening postpartum hemorrhage

Resumen Introducción. La hemorragia posparto es la primera causa de morbimortalidad materna en el mundo y las laceraciones son la segunda causa en frecuencia. Su tratamiento temprano y apropiado es clave para obtener buenos resultados, y la oclusión endovascular de los vasos pélvicos se cuenta entre las opciones terapéuticas. Objetivo. Describir la experiencia del tratamiento con la 'embolización' (sic) arterial de los vasos pélvicos. Materiales y métodos. Se trató de un estudio retrospectivo del tipo de serie de casos basado en el registro institucional de la Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia, en el que se incluyeron las pacientes con hemorragia posparto atendidas entre el 1º de enero del 2011 y el 31 de octubre del 2016. Resultados. De las 430 pacientes con diagnóstico de hemorragia posparto, 11 fueron sometidas a la 'embolización' de los vasos pélvicos. De este grupo, 10 pacientes tuvieron parto vaginal con laceraciones vaginales complejas, y la mayoría (9 casos, 82 %) fue remitida por otras instituciones de menor complejidad después de 20,5 horas. Las arterias ocluidas frecuentemente fueron la vaginal superior y la pudenda interna. Ninguna paciente presentó complicaciones asociadas al procedimiento y solo dos presentaron sangrado recurrente. Tres pacientes requirieron histerectomía y ninguna murió. Conclusión. El manejo percutáneo es un método de tercera línea, seguro y efectivo para el control de los sangrados de difícil manejo en las pacientes con hemorragia posparto por desgarros perineales complejos. Estos resultados son similares a los reportados en la literatura científica mundial disponible hasta la fecha.

Abstract Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage is a world-leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Lacerations are the second most frequent cause. Early management with appropriate treatment is essential to obtain adequate outcomes; the endovascular occlusion of pelvic vessels is among the management options. Objective: To describe the management experience with the arterial embolization of pelvic vessels. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective case series study based on the institutional registry of Fundación Valle del Lili (Cali, Colombia), which included patients with postpartum hemorrhage admitted between January 1st, 2011 and October 31st, 2016. Results: Out of 430 patients diagnosed with PPH, 11 were subject to embolization of pelvic vessels. Within our group, 10 patients had a vaginal delivery with severe vaginal lacerations; most of them (9 cases, 82%) were referred from other lower-complexity institutions after 20.5 hours. Occlusion was more frequent in the superior vaginal and the internal pudendal arteries. No patients showed complications associated with the procedure and only 2 showed recurrent bleeding while 3 required a hysterectomy, but no deaths occurred. Conclusion: Percutaneous management is a safe and effective third-line method for difficult-management bleedings control in patients with postpartum hemorrhage after a severe perineal tear. These results are similar to case reports published in the worldwide literature available to date.

Encefalopatía de Wernicke secundario a hiperémesis gravídica: la importancia del diagnóstico temprano / Wernicke encephalopathy secondary to hyperemesis gravidarum: importance of early diagnosis

RESUMEN Introducción: La hiperémesis gravídica (HG) es una condición frecuente en el embarazo, que puede resultar en complicaciones potencialmente letales como la encefalopatía de Wernicke (EW), síndrome que al ser reconocido y tratado tardíamente puede traducirse en una alta morbi-mortalidad materna y fetal. Objetivo: Describir el primer caso de EW secundario a HG en Colombia y realizar una revisión de la literatura publicada sobre su diagnóstico y tratamiento. Materiales y métodos: Se describe un caso de EW secundario a HG en el que se brindó un manejo interdisciplinario. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura con los términos "encefalopatía de Wernicke", "hiperémesis gravídica" y "embarazo" incluyendo reportes de casos, series de casos, artículos de revisión, investigaciones originales o cartas al editor en inglés, español y francés, en donde se analizaron el método y tiempo del diagnóstico, pauta de tratamiento y estado funcional final. Resultados: Se incluyeron 69 publicaciones y se identificaron 89 casos. En 23 de ellos se presentó pérdida gestacional, sólo en el 12,4% de los casos se reportó el nivel de tiamina, de los cuales en el 90% se encontraba disminuido y de los casos en donde se reportó estado funcional final en el 5,9% la gestante falleció. Conclusión: La EW secundaria a HG es una complicación potencialmente letal. Debe sospecharse ante cualquier alteración neurológica e historia de emesis persistente. El diagnóstico y tratamiento oportuno interdisciplinario son fundamentales para disminuir el riesgo de secuelas que limitan la capacidad funcional con alto impacto en la calidad de vida.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a frequent condition in pregnancy, which can result in potentially lethal complications such as Wernicke encephalopathy (WE), a syndrome that can be translated into a high maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality if it is recognized and treated late. Objective: To describe the first case of WE due to HG in Colombia and to review the published literature about its diagnosis and treatment. Materials and methods: We describe a case of WE due to HG with an interdisciplinary approach. A review of the literature was performed with the terms "Wernicke's encephalopathy", "hyperemesis gravidarum" and "pregnancy" including case reports, case series, review articles, original investigations or letters to the editor in English, Spanish and French, where the method and time of the diagnosis, treatment regimen and sequelae were analyzed. Results: Sixty-nine publications were included and 89 cases were identified. In 23 of them had a gestational loss, only in 12.4% of the cases the thiamine level was reported, in which 90% was diminished and in the cases where the final functional status was reported in 5.9% of the pregnant woman died. Conclusion: WE due to HG is a potentially lethal complication. In any neurological disturbance and history of persistent emesis it should be suspected. Timely interdisciplinary diagnosis and treatment are essential to reduce the risk of sequelae that limit functional capacity with a high impact on quality of life.

Experience in the use of non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG) in the management of postpartum haemorrhage with hypovolemic shock in the Fundación Valle Del Lili, Cali, Colombia.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this case series is to describe the experience of using the non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG) in the management of severe Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and shock, and the value of implementing this concept in high-complexity obstetric hospitals. METHODS: Descriptive case series of 77 women that received NASG in the management of PPH with severe hypovolemic shock from June 2014 to December 2015. Vital signs, shock index (SI), the lactic acid value and the base deficit were compared before and after NASG application. RESULTS: Fifty-six (77%) women had an SI > 1.1 at the time shock management was initiated; 96% had uterine atony. All women received standard does of uterotonics. The average time between the birth and NASG applications was 20 min. Forty-eight percent of women recovered haemodynamic variables in the first hour and 100% within the first 6 h; 100% had a SI < 1.0 in the first hour. The NASG was not removed until definitive control of bleeding was achieved, with an average time of use of 24 h. There were no mortalities. CONCLUSIONS: In this case series of women in severe shock, the NASG was an effective management device for the control of severe hypovolemic shock. It should be considered a first-line option for shock management.