The Effect of Maternal Obesity on Oxytocin Requirements to Achieve Vaginal Delivery.

Objective: Our objective was to determine if obese women are more likely to require oxytocin rates > 20 mU/min to achieve vaginal delivery, compared with normal weight women.

Study Design: This is a retrospective cohort study of deliveries at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

Results: There were 4,284 births included in the analysis.

Early preterm preeclampsia outcomes by intended mode of delivery.

Background: The optimal route of delivery in early-onset preeclampsia before 34 weeks is debated because many clinicians are reluctant to proceed with induction for perceived high risk of failure.

Objective: Our objective was to investigate labor induction success rates and compare maternal and neonatal outcomes by intended mode of delivery in women with early preterm preeclampsia.

Study Design: We identified 914 singleton pregnancies with preeclampsia in the Consortium on Safe Labor study for analysis who delivered between 24 0/7 and 33 6/7 weeks.

Risk factors for retained placenta.

Objective: Retained placenta complicates 2-3% of vaginal deliveries and is a known cause of postpartum hemorrhage. Treatment includes manual or operative placental extraction, potentially increasing risks of hemorrhage, infections, and prolonged hospital stays. We sought to evaluate risk factors for retained placenta, defined as more than 30 minutes between the delivery of the fetus and placenta, in a large US obstetrical cohort.