Clinical–Community Linkages: The Impact of Standard Care Processes that Engage Medicaid-Eligible Pregnant Women in Home Visiting

Abstract Background Cardiac arrhythmia is an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in pregnancy, but is difficult to diagnose. Purpose The aim of this single-centre, prospective, randomized pilot study was to compare the implantable loop recorder (ILR) with standard assessment of arrhythmia (12-lead ECG; 24-hour Holter ECG) in terms of acceptability, detection of arrhythmias and impact on outcome in pregnant women with symptomatic arrhythmias and/or structural heart disease (SHD). Methods The study recruited 40 consecutive patients from a weekly, dedicated cardiac obstetric clinic. Inclusion criteria: symptoms of arrhythmia and/or having SHD at risk of arrhythmia. Patients were randomized to either standard care (SC) or standard care plus ILR (SC-ILR). ILR recordings were read at the monthly visits and/or when presenting with symptoms. Results There were no demographic differences between the study groups. Seventeen patients consented to ILR insertion, all of whom found the procedure acceptable. No arrhythmias were recorded by the 12-lead ECGs. Holter monitoring detected arrhythmias in 10 of 23 patients (43%) from the SC group. In the SC-ILR group, 8 of 17 patients (47%) had arrhythmias detected by Holter, whereas 13 of 17 patients (76%) patients had arrhythmias detected by ILR (p=0.157). One of 4 patients with supraventricular tachycardia, 2 of 3 patients with premature ventricular complexes and 2 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) recorded by ILR did not have the arrhythmias detected by Holter monitoring (Figure 1A shows a scatter plot of the variable R-R intervals seen in AF and 1B a rhythm strip of AF with irregular RR intervals and the absence of P waves, both downloaded from the ILR). Four of these 5 patients (80%) had a change in management as a direct result of their ILR recordings. There were no maternal deaths up to 42 days postpartum in either of the study groups. Nine babies were born with a low birthweight (<2500g), 5 stillbirth/neonatal deaths and 1 pregnancy termination occurred (5 in the Holter group and 1 in ILR group, p=0.37). Figure 1 Conclusion(s) This study suggests that an ILR is an acceptable diagnostic modality in pregnant women with a suspected or at risk of arrhythmia. The ILR increased the diagnostic yield to detect arrhythmias that were not detected by routine ECG and Holter monitoring which led to a change in management in the SC-ILR group and was associated with better maternal and neonatal outcomes. The impact of ILR monitoring should be further assessed in larger studies with longer follow up.

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Maternal-Fetal Management in Trombophilia Related and Placenta-Mediated Pregnancy Complications

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.18.9.6541 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (9) ◽

pp. 2396-2401

Author(s):

Costin Berceanu ◽

Elena Loredana Ciurea ◽

Monica Mihaela Cirstoiu ◽

Sabina Berceanu ◽

Anca Maria Ofiteru ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Pregnancy Complications ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Case Control ◽

Placental Insufficiency ◽

Management Options ◽

Specific Therapy ◽

Pregnancy Morbidity ◽

The Impact ◽

Control Study

It is widely accepted that thrombophilia in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of venous thromboembolism. Pregnancy complications arise, at least partly, from placental insufficiency. Any change in the functioning of the gestational transient biological system, such as inherited or acquired thrombophilia, might lead to placental insufficiency. In this research we included 64 pregnant women with trombophilia and 70 cases non-trombophilic pregnant women, with or without PMPC, over a two-year period. The purpose of this multicenter case-control study is to analyze the maternal-fetal management options in obstetric thrombophilia, the impact of this pathology on the placental structure and possible correlations with placenta-mediated pregnancy complications. Maternal-fetal management in obstetric thrombophilia means preconceptional or early diagnosis, prevention of pregnancy morbidity, specific therapy as quickly as possible and fetal systematic surveilance to identify the possible occurrence of placenta-mediated pregnancy complications.

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Clinical Pharmacokinetic Studies in Pregnant Women and the Relevance of Pharmacometric Tools

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612825666190320135137 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (5) ◽

pp. 483-495 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

André Dallmann ◽

Paola Mian ◽

Johannes Van den Anker ◽

Karel Allegaert

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Clinical Pharmacokinetic ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Current Status ◽

Pharmacokinetic Studies ◽

Full Potential ◽

Pbpk Models ◽

Pregnancy And Postpartum ◽

Population Pk ◽

The Impact

Background: In clinical pharmacokinetic (PK) studies, pregnant women are significantly underrepresented because of ethical and legal reasons which lead to a paucity of information on potential PK changes in this population. As a consequence, pharmacometric tools became instrumental to explore and quantify the impact of PK changes during pregnancy. Methods: We explore and discuss the typical characteristics of population PK and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models with a specific focus on pregnancy and postpartum. Results: Population PK models enable the analysis of dense, sparse or unbalanced data to explore covariates in order to (partly) explain inter-individual variability (including pregnancy) and to individualize dosing. For population PK models, we subsequently used an illustrative approach with ketorolac data to highlight the relevance of enantiomer specific modeling for racemic drugs during pregnancy, while data on antibiotic prophylaxis (cefazolin) during surgery illustrate the specific characteristics of the fetal compartments in the presence of timeconcentration profiles. For PBPK models, an overview on the current status of reports and papers during pregnancy is followed by a PBPK cefuroxime model to illustrate the added benefit of PBPK in evaluating dosing regimens in pregnant women. Conclusions: Pharmacometric tools became very instrumental to improve perinatal pharmacology. However, to reach their full potential, multidisciplinary collaboration and structured efforts are needed to generate more information from already available datasets, to share data and models, and to stimulate cross talk between clinicians and pharmacometricians to generate specific observations (pathophysiology during pregnancy, breastfeeding) needed to further develop the field.

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Impact of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Pregnant Women: A Review

Coronaviruses ◽

10.2174/2666796701999201116123457 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 01 ◽

Author(s):

Saima Habeeb ◽

Manju Chugani

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Age Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Fetal Outcome ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Coronavirus Infection ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

The Impact

: The novel coronavirus infection (COVID‐19) is a global public health emergency.Since its outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the infection has spread at an alarming rate across the globe and humans have been locked down to their countries, cities and homes. As of now, the virus has affected over 20million people globally and has inflicted over 7 lac deaths. Nevertheless, the recovery rate is improving with each passing day and over 14 million people have recuperated so far. The statistics indicate that nobody is immune to the disease as the virus continues to spread among all age groups; newborns to the elders, and all compartmentsincluding pregnant women. However, pregnant women may be more susceptible to this infection as they are, in general, highly vulnerable to respiratory infections. There is no evidence for vertical transmission of the COVID-19 virus among pregnant women, but an increased prevalence of preterm deliveries. Besides this, the COVID-19 may alter immune response at the maternal-fetal interface and affect the well-being of mothers as well as infants. Unfortunately, there is limited evidence available in the open literature regarding coronavirus infection during pregnancy and it now appears that certain pregnant women have infected during the present 2019-nCoV pandemic. In this short communication, we study the impact of the COVID-19 infection on vertical transmission and fetal outcome among pregnant women.

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Impact of influenza virus during pregnancy: from disease severity to vaccine efficacy

Future Virology ◽

10.2217/fvl-2020-0024 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (7) ◽

pp. 441-453

Author(s):

Ana Vazquez-Pagan ◽

Rebekah Honce ◽

Stacey Schultz-Cherry

Keyword(s):

Influenza Virus ◽

Virus Infection ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Disease Severity ◽

Influenza A ◽

Antiviral Treatment ◽

Influenza Virus Infection ◽

Severe Influenza ◽

The Impact

Pregnant women are among the individuals at the highest risk for severe influenza virus infection. Infection of the mother during pregnancy increases the probability of adverse fetal outcomes such as small for gestational age, preterm birth and fetal death. Animal models of syngeneic and allogeneic mating can recapitulate the increased disease severity observed in pregnant women and are used to define the mechanism(s) of that increased severity. This review focuses on influenza A virus pathogenesis, the unique immunological landscape during pregnancy, the impact of maternal influenza virus infection on the fetus and the immune responses at the maternal–fetal interface. Finally, we summarize the importance of immunization and antiviral treatment in this population and highlight issues that warrant further investigation.

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Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) Cohort Study: influences of complex environmental exposures on maternal and child health in Suriname

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034702 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. e034702

Author(s):

Wilco Zijlmans ◽

Jeffrey Wickliffe ◽

Ashna Hindori-Mohangoo ◽

Sigrid MacDonald-Ottevanger ◽

Paul Ouboter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Occupational Health ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Fish Consumption ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Environmental Exposures ◽

International Standards ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

The Impact ◽

Environmental And Occupational Health

PurposeThe Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health prospective environmental epidemiologic cohort study addresses the impact of chemical and non-chemical environmental exposures on mother/child dyads in Suriname. The study determines associations between levels of environmental elements and toxicants in pregnant women, and birth outcomes and neurodevelopment in their children.ParticipantsPregnant women (N=1143) were enrolled from December 2016 to July 2019 from three regions of Suriname: Paramaribo (N=738), Nickerie (N=204) and the tropical rainforest interior (N=201). Infants (N=992) were enrolled at birth. Follow-up will take place until children are 48 months old.Findings to dateBiospecimens and questionnaire data on physiological and psychosocial health in pregnant women have been analysed. 39.1% had hair mercury (Hg) levels exceeding values considered safe by international standards. Median hair Hg concentrations in women from Paramaribo (N=522) were 0.64 µg/g hair (IQRs 0.36–1.09; range 0.00–7.12), from Nickerie (N=176) 0.73 µg/g (IQR 0.45–1.05; range 0.00–5.79) and the interior (N=178) 3.48 µg/g (IQR 1.92–7.39; range 0.38–18.20). 96.1% of women ate fish, respective consumption of the three most consumed carnivorous species, Hoplias aimara, Serrasalmus rhombeus and Cichla ocellaris, known to have high Hg levels, was 44.4%, 19.3% and 26.3%, respectively, and was greater among the interior subcohort. 89% frequently consumed the vegetable tannia, samples of which showed presence of worldwide banned pesticides. 24.9% of pregnant women had Edinburgh Depression Scale scores indicative of probable depression.Future plansFish consumption advisories are in development, especially relevant to interior women for whom fish consumption is likely to be the primary source of Hg exposure. Effects of potentially beneficial neuroprotective factors in fish that may counter neurotoxic effects of Hg are being examined. A pesticide literacy assessment in pregnant women is in progress. Neurodevelopmental assessments and telomere length measurements of the children to evaluate long-term effects of prenatal exposures to toxicant mixtures are ongoing.

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Recruiting hard-to-reach pregnant women at high psychosocial risk: strategies and costs from a randomised controlled trial

Trials ◽

10.1186/s13063-021-05348-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alice MacLachlan ◽

Karen Crawford ◽

Shona Shinwell ◽

Catherine Nixon ◽

Marion Henderson

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Randomised Controlled Trials ◽

Social Care ◽

Early Years ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Recruitment Strategies ◽

Recruitment Activities ◽

Research Nurses ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Recruiting participants to randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is often challenging, particularly when working with socially disadvantaged populations who are often termed ‘hard-to-reach’ in research. Here we report the recruitment strategies and costs for the Trial for Healthy Relationship Initiatives in the Very Early years (THRIVE), an RCT evaluating two group-based parenting interventions for pregnant women. Methods THRIVE aimed to recruit 500 pregnant women with additional health and social care needs in Scotland between 2014 and 2018. Three recruitment strategies were employed: (1) referrals from a health or social care practitioner or voluntary/community organisation (practitioner-led referral), (2) direct engagement with potential participants by research staff (researcher-led recruitment) and (3) self-referral in response to study advertising (self-referral). The number of referrals and recruited participants from each strategy is reported along with the overall cost of recruitment. The impact of recruitment activities and the changes in maternity policy/context on recruitment throughout the study are examined. Results THRIVE received 973 referrals: 684 (70%) from practitioners (mainly specialist and general midwives), 273 (28%) from research nurses and 16 (2%) self-referrals. The time spent in antenatal clinics by research nurses each month was positively correlated with the number of referrals received (r = 0.57; p < 0.001). Changes in maternity policies and contexts were reflected in the number of referrals received each month, with both positive and negative impacts throughout the trial. Overall, 50% of referred women were recruited to the trial. Women referred via self-referral, THRIVE research nurses and specialist midwives were most likely to go on to be recruited (81%, 58% and 57%, respectively). Key contributors to recruitment included engaging key groups of referrers, establishing a large flexible workforce to enable recruitment activities to adapt to changes in context throughout the study and identifying the most appropriate setting to engage with potential participants. The overall cost of recruitment was £377 per randomised participant. Conclusions Recruitment resulted from a combination of all three strategies. Our reflections on the successes and challenges of these strategies highlight the need for recruitment strategies to be flexible to adapt to complex interventions and real-world challenges. These findings will inform future research in similar hard-to-reach populations. Trial registration International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number Registry ISRCTN21656568. Retrospectively registered on 28 February 2014

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Prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in pregnant women with type 2 diabetes and the impact on glycaemic control

Diabetic Medicine ◽

10.1111/dme.14506 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Björg Ásbjörnsdóttir ◽

Marianne Vestgaard ◽

Nicoline C. Do ◽

Lene Ringholm ◽

Lise L.T. Andersen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Glycaemic Control ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

The Impact

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The Impact of Diagnostic Criteria for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus on Adverse Maternal Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10040666 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 666

Author(s):

Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani ◽

Marzieh Saei Ghare Naz ◽

Razieh Bidhendi Yarandi ◽

Samira Behboudi-Gandevani

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Gestational Diabetes ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Diagnostic Criteria ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Population Based ◽

Maternal Outcomes ◽

Care Providers ◽

Iadpsg Criteria ◽

The Impact

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the impact of different gestational-diabetes (GDM) diagnostic-criteria on the risk of adverse-maternal-outcomes. The search process encompassed PubMed (Medline), Scopus, and Web of Science databases to retrieve original, population-based studies with the universal GDM screening approach, published in English language and with a focus on adverse-maternal-outcomes up to January 2020. According to GDM diagnostic criteria, the studies were classified into seven groups. A total of 49 population-based studies consisting of 1409018 pregnant women with GDM and 7,667,546 non-GDM counterparts were selected for data analysis and knowledge synthesis. Accordingly, the risk of adverse-maternal-outcomes including primary-cesarean, induction of labor, maternal-hemorrhage, and pregnancy-related-hypertension, overall, regardless of GDM diagnostic-criteria and in all diagnostic-criteria subgroups were significantly higher than non-GDM counterparts. However, in meta-regression, the increased risk was not influenced by the GDM diagnostic-classification and the magnitude of the risks among patients, using the IADPSG criteria-classification as the most strict-criteria, was similar to other criteria. In conclusion, a reduction in the diagnostic-threshold increased the prevalence of GDM, but the risk of adverse-maternal-outcome was not different among those women who were diagnosed through more or less intensive strategies. Our review findings can empower health-care-providers to select the most cost-effective approach for the screening of GDM among pregnant women.

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COVID-19: Uncertainties from Conception to Birth

Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia / RBGO Gynecology and Obstetrics ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1721856 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 43 (01) ◽

pp. 054-060

Author(s):

Bruno Ramalho de Carvalho ◽

Karina de Sá Adami ◽

Walusa Assad Gonçalves-Ferri ◽

Marise Samama ◽

Rui Alberto Ferriani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Present Article ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Scientific Information ◽

Obstetric Outcomes ◽

Reproductive Events ◽

The Impact ◽

Initial Impressions ◽

Quality Evidence

AbstractScientific information on the impact of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on the health of pregnant women, fetuses and newborns is considered of limited confidence, lacking good-quality evidence, and drawing biased conclusions. As a matter of fact, the initial impressions that the evolution of COVID-19 was no different between pregnant and non-pregnant women, and that SARS-CoV-2 was not vertically transmitted, are confronted by the documentation of worsening of the disease during pregnancy, poor obstetric outcomes, and the possibility of vertical transmission. The present article aims to compile the data available on the association of COVID-19 and reproductive events, from conception to birth.

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