Neurological emergencies in pregnant and post-partum women in resource-poor settings: Author's reply

Critical illness during pregnancy or after giving birth is rare: in the United Kingdom 0.29% of maternities involve admission to a critical care unit, and the maternal death rate is 0.01%. Over 80% of obstetric admissions to critical care occur in the post-partum phase, mainly due to complications relating to massive haemorrhage. Other pregnancy specific conditions that may require critical care support include pre-eclampsia (typically when diagnosis and treatment have been delayed), amniotic fluid embolism, peri-partum cardiomyopathy, and acute fatty liver of pregnancy. Puerperal sepsis remains a major problem in resource-poor parts of the world. Pregnant women who survive critical illness may be particularly prone to long-term psychological morbidity. It is vital that, once physiological stability has been achieved, no time is wasted before a mother is reunited with her baby.

Download Full-text

Diagnosis of acute neurological emergencies in pregnant and post-partum women

The Lancet Neurology ◽

10.1016/s1474-4422(12)70306-x ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 175-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 69

Author(s):

Jonathan A Edlow ◽

Louis R Caplan ◽

Karen O'Brien ◽

Carrie D Tibbles

Keyword(s):

Post Partum ◽

Neurological Emergencies

Download Full-text

Serum Vitamin B12 Concentrations among Mothers and Newborns and Follow-up Study to Assess Implication on the Growth Velocity and the Urinary Methylmalonic Acid Excretion

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831.79.56.297 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 79 (56) ◽

pp. 297-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Laila Hussein ◽

Sahar Abdel Aziz ◽

Salwa Tapouzada ◽

Boehles

Keyword(s):

Early Diagnosis ◽

Growth Velocity ◽

Methylmalonic Acid ◽

Post Partum ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Vitamin B ◽

Postnatal Life ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Metabolic Marker ◽

Biochemical Measurement

Objective:Cobalamin (B12) deficiency has been reported in infants born to mothers with low cobalamin intake. Early diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency in infants is critical for the prevention of neurobehavioral disorders. We investigated the relationship between serum vitamin B12 level in newborns and in their healthy mothers who consumed an omnivorous diet. Anthropometry was studied longitudinally to assess the growth velocity of the infants. Urinary methylmalonic acid (MMA) excretion of 6-month old infants was compared retrospectively as the biomarker correlated with the initial serum vitamin B12 concentrations. Methods: Serum cobalamin and blood hemoglobin were determined in 84 pairs of newborns and their mothers. Urinary MMA excretion was measured in the same subjects during the first 6 months of the post partum period. Results: At birth, median serum cobalamin levels were 152.0 pmol/L in the mothers and 296.6 pmol/L in the newborns. Maternal and neonatal serum cobalamin levels had no effect on growth velocity during the first six months of postnatal life. Serum maternal and neonatal cobalamin levels were inversely associated with urinary MMA excretion. Conclusion: Early diagnosis of vitamin B12 status in neonates and infants is crucial, particularly in nutritionally deprived areas. Biochemical measurement of plasma cobalamin or its metabolic marker MMA is highly recommended. Urinary MMA measurement in cobalamin diagnostics provides an advantage in that blood sampling is not required. A vitamin B12 taskforce should be created to alleviate vitamin deficiency and its negative consequences.

Download Full-text

Makroskopische Beurteilung der Alpakaplazenta

Tierärztliche Praxis Ausgabe G Großtiere / Nutztiere ◽

10.1055/a-1004-9946 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (05) ◽

pp. 326-327

Keyword(s):

Post Partum ◽

Vicugna Pacos ◽

Pathologische Veränderungen

Meesters M, Opsomer G, Govaere J. Macroscopic evaluation of the placenta of the alpaca (Vicugna pacos). Reprod Dom Anim 2019; 54: 996–1002 Zu den wesentlichen Untersuchungen post partum gehört die makroskopische Beurteilung der Plazenta. Insbesondere bei einem Abort, einer Früh- oder Totgeburt sollte die Nachgeburt sorgfältig auf Anomalien wie Unvollständigkeit, Plazentitis, Ödeme oder andere Veränderungen untersucht werden. Um pathologische Veränderungen erkennen zu können, muss dem Untersucher der physiologische Zustand einer Nachgeburt bekannt sein. Bisher fehlen jedoch ausreichende Referenzen für unauffällige Alpakaplazenten. Ziel der Studie war, physiologische Plazenten von Alpakas hinsichtlich Aussehen, Größe, Gewicht und Volumen zu untersuchen und damit künftigen Untersuchern die objektive Beurteilung von Alpakaplazenten zu ermöglichen.

Download Full-text