Caring for Patients with Gestational Hypertensive Disorders: Essential Takeaways.

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) are a group of conditions-including chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia with and without end-organ damage, and acute complications, which include HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets) syndrome and eclampsia-that could lead to severely adverse outcomes for both mother and fetus. The incidence of HDP has increased, affecting one out of seven delivery hospitalizations. Physicians should be aware of HDP for early identification and proper treatment to improve patient outcomes.

The Carit Maneuver: A Novel Approach for the Relief of Shoulder Dystocia-A Case Series.

 The main purpose of this article is to describe the technique and mechanism of action of a novel intervention for the relief of shoulder dystocia we are labeling Carit maneuver.  We report a cohort study of eight cases of shoulder dystocia not relieved by the combination of McRobert's maneuver and suprapubic pressure treated with the Carit maneuver. This intervention involves the use of the fetal head and neck as the grasping point of the fetus to exert a ventral rotation of the fetal trunk, reduce the bi-acromial diameter, and deliver the posterior shoulder by passive displacement.

Pulmonary hypertension and pregnancy: an overview.

Pulmonary hypertension is a syndrome infrequently associated with pregnancy. Despite advancements in therapy during the past 25 years and encouraging reports of improved outcomes, pulmonary arterial hypertension remains a devastating disease with a significantly reduced lifespan. This disorder should still be considered a contraindication to pregnancy.

Cardiac arrest during pregnancy.

Cardiac arrest is a rare event during pregnancy. The pregnant population represents a unique subset of cardiac arrest victims. Not only are there unique causes of circulatory collapse during the pregnant state, but the physiological modifications to the maternal physiology during pregnancy require specific modifications to the standard management of the arrest.

Prevention of the first cesarean delivery: the role of operative vaginal delivery.

While the cesarean delivery (CD) rates have increased worldwide, operative vaginal delivery (OVD) rates continue to decline, with the United States having some of the lower rates amongst developed countries. It is clear that the use of forceps or vacuum can safely assist in accomplishing a vaginal delivery and prevent a cesarean during the IInd stage of labor performed for a variety of maternal or fetal indications. In the absence of randomized trials between OVD's and immediate CD's for anticipated difficult births the question of the balance of risks between the two interventions remains unanswered.

Cutting-edge advances in the medical management of obstetrical hemorrhage.

Hemorrhagic shock is the most common form of shock encountered in obstetric practice. Interventions that may limit transfusion requirements include normovolemic hemodilution, use of recombinant activated factor VII, selective embolization of pelvic vessels by interventional radiology, and the use of the cell saver intraoperatively. Current understanding of the mechanisms of acute coagulopathy calls into question the current transfusion guidelines, leading to a tendency to apply massive transfusion protocols based on hemostatic resuscitation despite lack of prospective data.

Operative vaginal deliveries: practical aspects.

Forceps, vacuum, and cesarean sections are relatively recent additions to the obstetrician's armamentarium. The art of modern obstetrics is one that mandates from obstetricians the attentive vigilance of the development of natural processes and an active intervention when such processes fall outside normally accepted standards. What constitutes the "normal process" and the "accepted standard" is subject to discussion, and international variations in obstetric practice are in part the reflection of such controversies.

Controversies in the management of placenta accreta.

Obstetric hemorrhage is one of the most common causes of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and abnormal placentation, including placenta accreta, is currently the most common indication for peripartum hysterectomy. Prenatal identification of these cases and early referral to centers with the capability to manage them will likely result in improved outcomes. Interventions that may limit transfusion requirements include normovolemic hemodilution, selective embolization of pelvic vessels by interventional radiology, conservative management of accretism in a few selected cases, and the use of the cell saver intraoperatively.

Management of uterine hyperstimulation with concomitant use of oxytocin and terbutaline.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the concomitant use of subcutaneous terbutaline and oxytocin for the management of uterine hyperstimulation. Patients in active labor receiving intravenous oxytocin who developed uterine hyperstimulation were randomly assigned to receive either oxytocin discontinuation or administration of subcutaneous terbutaline while maintaining the oxytocin infusion. Time to resolution of hyperstimulation was the primary end point.

Burns in pregnancy.

Background: Treatment of a major burn injury during pregnancy must incorporate modifications in management resulting from gestational physiologic changes.

Case: A 25-year-old woman, at 34 weeks of gestation, sustained a major burn injury at home. She required ventilatory support, invasive hemodynamic monitoring, and massive fluid resuscitation.

Right-lower-quadrant pain and suspected appendicitis in pregnant women: evaluation with MR imaging--initial experience.

Purpose: To determine if there is a role for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in evaluation of pregnant women with acute right-lower-quadrant pain in whom acute appendicitis is suspected.

Materials And Methods: Informed consent and institutional review board approval were obtained. Images obtained with a 1.

The use of a continuous infusion of epinephrine for anaphylactic shock during labor.

Background: Anaphylaxis is a potentially life threatening, acute, and severe systemic reaction that occurs after the reexposure to a specific antigen. This immunoglobulin E-mediated process is the result of the action of basophils and mast cell mediators, causing severe brochospasm, laringospasm, angioedema, urticaria, and cardiovascular collapse.

Case: We present a case of anaphylactic shock during labor secondary to administration of ampicillin for group B streptococcus prophylaxis.

Brachial plexus paresis associated with fetal neck compression from forceps.

Instrumental vaginal deliveries have been associated with higher risks of brachial plexus injuries. The proposed mechanisms involve the indirect association of instrumental deliveries with shoulder dystocia and nerve stretch injuries secondary to rotations of 90 degrees or more. We present a brachial plexus paresis resulting from direct compression of the forceps blade in the fetal neck.

Impairment of fetal growth potential and neonatal encephalopathy.

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine the frequency of growth impairment in neonates with encephalopathy.

Study Design: In a case-control design, neonates with neonatal encephalopathy (NE) meeting criteria for an acute intrapartum hypoxic event (IHE, n = 21) and those who did not meet these criteria (n = 20) were compared with controls. The controls were 42 neonates without complications matched 2:1 for gestational age with IHE cases.

Embolism during pregnancy: thrombus, air, and amniotic fluid.

Pulmonary embolism is the primary cause of acute respiratory decompensation during pregnancy. Regardless of the nature of the embolism, a high index of suspicion, early diagnosis, and aggressive resuscitation need to be instituted to achieve a successful maternal and fetal outcome. Several clinical characteristics will assist practitioners to distinguish among the different forms of embolism and to institute specific measures of treatment.

Prenatal diagnosis of a fetus with unbalanced translocation (4;13)(p16;q32) with overlapping features of Patau and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndromes.

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) and Patau syndrome are two of the most severe conditions resulting from chromosome abnormalities. WHS is caused by a deletion of 4p16, while Patau syndrome is caused by trisomy for some or all regions of chromosome 13. Though the etiologies of these syndromes differ, they share several features including pre- and postnatal growth retardation, microcephaly, cleft lip and palate, and cardiac anomalies.

Neonatal organ system injury in acute birth asphyxia sufficient to result in neonatal encephalopathy.

Objective: To identify the proportion of major organ system injury in cases of acute intrapartum asphyxia that result in neonatal encephalopathy.

Methods: A prospectively maintained database was cross-referenced using medical record coding to identify diagnoses of acute intrapartum asphyxia, acute birth asphyxia, or neonatal encephalopathy over a 6-year period. An acute intrapartum asphyxial antecedent was validated with emphasis on excluding long-standing or chronic conditions where injury likely occurred before presentation.