Risk Factors for Early Neonatal Death despite Cesarean Section

Objective: To identify the risk factors for early neonatal death (NND) despite cesarean section (CS). Methods: This case-control study was carried out between 1st February and 31st May, 2019. Files of women whose newborns died within seven days following CS and those of women whose newborns were alive seven days after CS were examined. The main variables recorded included maternal age, educational level, gestational age at delivery, number of antenatal visits done, whether the woman was referred or not, intrapartum fever or hemorrhage, indication of CS, decision delivery interval, birthweight and sex of newborn. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0. Fisher exact test, t-test and logistic regression were used for comparison. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Our frequency of NND after CS was 4.8% (51/1053). Significant risk factors for NND after CS were birth weight <2000g (aOR 48.18, 95%CI 12.97-152.21), intra-partum hemorrhage (aOR 12.15, 95%CI 5.77-25.97), intra-partum fever (aOR 5.64, 95%CI 1.81-17.66), ˂4 antenatal visits (aOR 4.13, 95%CI 2.71-6.74), arrival ˃1h after referral (aOR 3.09, 95%CI 1.67-5.71) and primary school education level (aOR 2.39, 95%CI 1.16-4.92). Conclusion: From the risk factors identified above, we can recommend that women, especially those with primary school education level, should be counselled to attend at least four antenatal visits to allow the diagnosis and treatment of some diseases. Moreover, CS should be carried out as fast as possible in the cases of intrapartum hemorrhage. Women with intrapartum fever needs particular attention. Lastly, referral should be organized so that the woman arrives earlier.

Lethality of Birth Defects in Live Born Infants Categorized by Gestational Age and Birth Weight

Objective To describe lethality of birth defects (BDs) in newborns categorized by gestational age and birth weight and to identify BDs associated with prematurity. Study Design Live born infants (n = 16,452) with isolated BDs classified by severity, and 42,511 healthy controls were assigned to categories: adequate growth, preterm, or small for gestational age (SGA). Proportion of cases and BDs' lethality rates were obtained by category and compared with controls. Results Overall fewer malformed than non-malformed infants were of adequate growth, while the opposite occurred in the preterm and SGA categories where gastroschisis and esophageal atresia were among the most outstanding defects. For most severe BDs, the early neonatal death rate was higher than control values in all categories; for mild defects, except cleft lip in the preterm category, they did not differ. Diaphragmatic hernia showed the highest lethality values, while those of spina bifida were among the lowest. Talipes, hypospadias, and septal heart defects were mild defects significantly associated with prematurity. Conclusion Although reasons, such as induced preterm delivery of fetuses with certain anomalies, could partially account for their high prematurity rates, susceptibility to preterm birth might exist through underlying mechanisms related with the defects. The identification of BDs associated with prematurity should serve to improve measures that prevent preterm birth especially of fetuses at risk. Key Points

Intrauterine infection verification in neonatal mortality

Aim. To verify contribution of intrauterine infections to early neonatal mortality, using autopsy and molecular genetic findings.Materials and methods. The study was carried out at the premises of the Research Institute of Maternity and Childhood Protection and the Pathology Department of the Khabarovsk Perinatal Center. An analysis was made of the data on medical history, pregnancy course and outcome, morphological placental study in seven cases of early neonatal death. Genomes of Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma species (Ureaplasma urealyticum + Ureaplasma parvum), Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza, Listeria monocytogenes, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex virus, Human herpesvirus type 4, and Human herpesvirus type 6 were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in samples of placental tissue.Results. Samples of six out of seven placentas (85.7%) in early neonatal death cases were found to present with genomes of opportunistic microorganisms, which are part of biocenosis of the woman’s urogenital tract and enter the placenta and the fetus by an ascending pathway (S. agalactiae, Ureaplasma spp., M. hominis), as well as genomes of opportunistic herpesviruses (Cytomegalovirus, Human herpesvirus type 6), which constantly persist and reproduce in human lymphocytes and are transmitted mainly by a transplacental route. Infectious and inflammatory changes in placenta and membranes resulting in respiratory disorders, fetal hypoxia and asphyxia were found in all cases of opportunistic pathogen detection.Conclusion. This is indicative of the ability of the said opportunistic organisms to contribute to the pathogenesis of neonatal death. Contribution of intrauterine infections to early neonatal death cases is made up of both congenital neonatal infection cases and cases of infectious and inflammatory processes in placenta and membranes leading to respiratory distress, the immediate cause of death.

Risk factors for stillbirth and early neonatal death: a case-control study in tertiary hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background Ethiopia is a Sub-Saharan country that has made significant improvements in maternal mortality and under-five mortality over the past 15 years. However, the nation continues to have one of the highest rates of perinatal mortality in the entire world with current estimates at 33 deaths per 1000 live births. Methods This case-control study was conducted between October 2016 and May 2017 at Tikur Anbessa Hospital and Gandhi Memorial Hospital. All women who had a stillbirth or early neonatal death (i.e. death within 7 days) during this period willing to participate were included as cases. A systematic random sample of women delivering at the hospital were approached for recruitment as controls to generate a 2:1 ratio of controls to cases. Data on risk factors were retrieved from medical records including delivery records, and treatment charts. Statistical differences in background and social characteristics of cases and controls were determined by t-test and chi-squared (or fisher’s exact test) for quantitative and categorical variables respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis was completed to determine any associations between risk factors and stillbirth/early neonatal death. Results During the study period, 366 women delivering at the hospitals were enrolled as cases and 711 women delivering at the hospitals were enrolled as controls. Records from both hospitals indicated that the estimated stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates were 30.7 per 1000. Neonatal causes (43.4%) were the most common, followed by antepartum (32.5%) and intrapartum (24.5%). Risk factors for stillbirths and early neonatal death were low maternal education (aOR 1.747, 95%CI 1.098–2.780), previous stillbirth (aOR 9.447, 95%CI 6.245–14.289), previous preterm birth (aOR 3.620, 95%CI 2.363–5.546), and previous child with congenital abnormality (aOR 2.190, 95% 1.228–3.905), and antepartum hemorrhage during pregnancy (aOR 3.273, 95% 1.523–7.031). Conclusion Antepartum hemorrhaging is the only risk factor in our study amenable for direct intervention. Efforts should be maximized to improve patient education and antenatal and obstetric services. Moreover, the most significant cause of mortality was asphyxia-related causes. It is imperative that obstetric capacity in rehabilitation services are strengthened and for further studies to investigate the high burden of asphyxia at these tertiary hospitals to better tailor interventions.

Prevalence of single umbilical artery, clinical outcomes and its risk factors: A cross-sectional study

Background: Single umbilical artery (SUA) is found in 0.5–6% of all pregnancies worldwide. Although the association of SUA with some congenital malformations is mainly accepted, its effect on pregnancy/neonatal outcomes is still controversial. Objective: This is the first study aimed to approximate the SUA prevalence in southern part of Iran. SUA epidemiologic features accompanied by some of its effects on pregnancy/neonatal outcomes are investigated as well. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data from two referral centers in Southern Iran were analyzed. In total, 1,469 pregnancies, fetuses, and neonates were examined for epidemiological features associated with SUA. SUA was confirmed by pathological examination, while congenital anomalies were diagnosed by clinical, ultrasound, and echocardiographical examinations. Data on pregnancy outcome were recorded based on the patients’ medical records. Results: The prevalence of SUA was 3.47% (95% CI: 2.6–4.6%). Fetal anomalies including renal, cardiac, and other congenital anomalies, intrauterine fetal death, early neonatal death, low birth weight, low placental weight, and preterm birth were significantly higher in the SUA group (OR = 68.02, 31.04, 16.03, 3.85, 11.31, 3.22, 2.70, and 2.47, respectively). However, the maternal multiparity was lower in the SUA group (OR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.44–0.98). Conclusion: A significant association was observed between SUA and increased risk of intrauterine fetal death and early neonatal death, as well as low birth weight and preterm birth. Obstetrical history of the mother like parity was identified as an important predictor of SUA. Further investigations are suggested on risk stratification of neonates in this regard. Key words: Umbilical cord, Single umbilical artery, Pregnancy outcome, Congenital abnormalities.

Rapid Trio Exome Sequencing for Autosomal Recessive Renal Tubular Dysgenesis in Recurrent Oligohydramnios

Oligohydramnios is not a rare prenatal finding. However, recurrent oligohydramnios is uncommon, and genetic etiology should be taken into consideration. We present two families with recurrent fetal oligohydramnios that did not respond to amnioinfusion. Rapid trio-whole-exome sequencing (WES) revealed mutations in the AGT gene in both families within 1 week. The first family had a compound heterozygous mutation with c.856 + 1G &gt; T and c.857-619_1269 + 243delinsTTGCCTTGC changes. The second family had homozygous c.857-619_1269 + 243delinsTTGCCTTGC mutations. AGT gene mutation may lead to autosomal recessive renal tubular dysgenesis, a rare and lethal disorder that can result in early neonatal death. Both the alleles identified are known alleles associated with pathogenicity. Our findings suggest that trio-WES analysis may help rapidly identify causative etiologies that can inform prompt counseling and decision-making prenatally.

Womb to womb: Maternal litter size and birth weight but not adult characteristics predict early neonatal death of offspring in the common marmoset monkey

A singular focus on maternal health at the time of a pregnancy leaves much about perinatal mortality unexplained, especially when there is growing evidence for maternal early life effects. Further, lumping stillbirth and early neonatal death into a single category of perinatal mortality may obscure different causes and thus different avenues of screening and prevention. The common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus), a litter-bearing nonhuman primate, is an ideal species in which to study the independent effects of a mother’s early life and adult phenotypes on pregnancy outcomes. We tested two hypotheses in 59 marmoset pregnancies at the Southwest National Primate Research Center and the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. We explored 1) whether pregnancy outcomes were predicted independently by maternal adult weight versus maternal litter size and birth weight, and 2) whether stillbirth and early neonatal death were differentially predicted by maternal variables. No maternal characteristics predicted stillbirth and no maternal adult characteristics predicted early neonatal death. In univariate Poisson models, triplet-born females had a significantly increased rate of early neonatal death (IRR[se] = 3.00[1.29], p = 0.011), while higher birth weight females had a decreased rate (IRR[se] = 0.89[0.05], p = 0.039). In multivariate Poisson models, maternal litter size remained an independent predictor, explaining 13% of the variance in early neonatal death. We found that the later in the first week those neonates died, the more weight they lost. Together these findings suggest that triplet-born and low birth weight females have distinct developmental trajectories underlying greater rates of infant loss, losses that we suggest may be attributable to developmental disruption of infant feeding and carrying. Our findings of early life contributions to adult pregnancy outcomes in the common marmoset disrupt mother-blaming narratives of pregnancy outcomes in humans. These narratives hold that the pregnant person is solely responsible for pregnancy outcomes and the health of their children, independent of socioecological factors, a moralistic framing that has shaped clinical pregnancy management. It is necessary to differentiate temporal trajectories and causes of perinatal loss and view them as embedded in external processes to develop screening, diagnostic, and treatment tools that consider the full arc of a mother’s lived experience, from womb to womb and beyond.

STUDY OF THE INCIDENCE AND EFFECT OF MECONIUM STAINED AMNIOTIC FLUID ON FETAL MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF NEONATES BORN

Aims and objectives: Meconium stained amniotic fluid was considered a sign of fetal distress and associated with poor fetal outcome, but others considered physiological phenomena to be meconium passage through the fetus and create environmental threats to the fetus before birth. Such magnitude of different opinions was the object behind taking up this study and the aim was to find out the incidence and effect of meconium in terms of morbidity and mortality. Material and Methods: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the significance of MSAF and its fetal outcome in parturients admitted to a tertiary care hospital between June 2012 to June 2014. Detection of MSAF during delivery and follow-up of mother and baby during hospital stay was done. A total number of 100 cases were studied in each group as a prospective study. Results: The total numbers of deliveries during the study period were 850 of which 100 cases had meconium staining of AF (11.6%). Thin meconium staining was seen in 37 cases (4.35%) and Thick meconium was seen in 63 cases (7.41%). The major neonatal complication was birth asphyxia in MSG (19%) which was more in thick MSG (14%). Neonatal morbidity was more in the newborn with the thick meconium group (36.5%) compared to the thin meconium-stained group (29.7%). Early neonatal mortality was 100% associated with thick MSG. Early neonatal death was 2 in thick MSG and it was due to MAS. Stillbirth was 100% associated with thick MSG and it was 4. Whereas stillbirth in the control group was 1. Perinatal mortality was 6% in MSG that was associated with thick MSG. In the control group, it was 1%. Consistency of meconium has a direct bearing on the fetal outcome. In the thick meconium-stained group, Neonatal morbidity was (in our study group) 23 out of 63 cases. Stillbirth was 4; early neonatal death was 2 out of 63 cases. Whereas in thin MSG neonatal morbidity was 11 out of 37 cases. No stillbirth or neonatal death occurred in thin MSG. Conclusion: Immediate airway management, need for suction, and intubation should be guided by the state of the newborn rather than the presence of meconium. Timely diagnosis and management of amniotic fluid stained with meconium can enhance the fetal outcome. The authors of the current study conclude that MSAF adversely affects the fetal outcome mainly by thick meconium.