Implementation of External Cephalic Version in the Netherlands: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract Background During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the Netherlands it was noticed that very few blood cultures from COVID-19 patients turned positive with clinically relevant bacteria. This was particularly evident in comparison to the number of positive blood cultures during previous seasonal epidemics of influenza. This observation raised questions about the occurrence and causative microorganisms of bacteraemia in COVID-19 patients, especially in the perspective of the widely reported overuse of antibiotics and the rising rate of antibiotic resistance. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study on blood culture results in influenza A, influenza B and COVID-19 patients presenting to two hospitals in the Netherlands. Our main outcome consisted of the percentage of positive blood cultures. The percentage of clinically relevant blood cultures, isolated bacteria and 30-day all-cause mortality served as our secondary outcomes. Results A total of 1331 viral episodes were analysed in 1324 patients. There was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.47) in overall occurrence of blood culture positivity in COVID-19 patients (9.0, 95% CI 6.8–11.1) in comparison to influenza A (11.4, 95% CI 7.9–14.8) and influenza B patients (10.4, 95% CI 7.1–13.7,). After correcting for the high rate of contamination, the occurrence of clinically relevant bacteraemia in COVID-19 patients amounted to 1.0% (95% CI 0.3–1.8), which was statistically significantly lower (p = 0.04) compared to influenza A patients (4.0, 95% CI 1.9–6.1) and influenza B patients (3.0, 95% CI 1.2–4.9). The most frequently identified bacterial isolates in COVID-19 patients were Escherichia coli (n = 2) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 2). The overall 30-day all-cause mortality for COVID-19 patients was 28.3% (95% CI 24.9–31.7), which was statistically significantly higher (p = <.001) when compared to patients with influenza A (7.1, 95% CI 4.3–9.9) and patients with influenza B (6.4, 95% CI 3.8–9.1). Conclusions We report a very low occurrence of community-acquired bacteraemia amongst COVID-19 patients in comparison to influenza patients. These results reinforce current clinical guidelines on antibiotic management in COVID-19, which only advise utilization of antibiotics when a bacterial co-infection is suspected.

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Predictive Factors for Successful Vaginal Delivery after a Trial of External Cephalic Version: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 946 Women

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1739505 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Asaf Bilgory ◽

Olena Minich ◽

Maria Shvaikovsky ◽

Genady Gurevich ◽

Joseph B. Lessing ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Vaginal Delivery ◽

Predictive Factors ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

External Cephalic Version ◽

Nulliparous Women ◽

Tertiary Center ◽

Vertex Presentation

Objective Our aim was to find the factors which predict a vertex presentation of vaginal delivery (VD) in women who are admitted for a trial of external cephalic version (ECV). Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study of women who underwent a trial of ECV and delivered between November 2011 and December 2018 in a single tertiary center. The main outcome measure was successful VD of a fetus in the vertex presentation. Women who achieved VD in the vertex presentation or underwent cesarean delivery were compared on the basis of variety of predictive factors. Adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes were reported. Logistic regression was used for the multivariate analysis. Results A total of 946 women were included; 717 (75.8%) women had a successful ECV and 663 (70.1%) women had a VD in the vertex presentation. Parous women had 79.3% VD rate (570/719) and nulliparous women had 41.0% VD rate (93/227). Women with an amniotic fluid index (AFI) of 50 to 79, 80 to 200, and >200 mm had 34.8, 71.0, and 83.1% VD rate, respectively. Parous versus nulliparous women had an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 5.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.90–7.52, p < 0.001), women with AFI 50 to 79 mm compared with AFI 80 to 200 mm had an aOR of 0.21 (95% CI 0.12–0.37, p < 0.001), and women with an AFI >200 mm compared with AFI 80 to 200 mm had an aOR of 1.74 (95% CI 1.03–2.92, p = 0.037) to achieve VD. The final prediction model for the chances of a VD based on data on admission for ECV was reported. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to evaluate the goodness of fit of the model (p = 0.836). Conclusion Being parous and having an AFI >200 mm are positive independent predictive factors for achieving VD of a vertex presenting fetus after ECV. Whereas AFI 50 to 79 mm is a negative independent predictive factor. Key Points

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