Cardiac performance is impaired in morbidly obese pregnant females.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of pregnancy on ventricular function in morbidly obese as compared to lean controls.

Material And Methods: We serially studied 33 obese and non-obese pregnant females with echocardiography during each trimester of pregnancy and after delivery. Two well-validated, relatively load-independent indices of contractility (systolic shortening index and systolic velocity index) were assessed, along with more traditional echocardiographic parameters.

Group B streptococcal antibiotic resistance patterns in pregnant women.

Group B Streptococcal (GBS) antibiotic susceptibility studies were performed in 95 pregnant women in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Testing for penicillin, ampicillin, cefazolin, and clindamycin sensitivity was performed. Resistance to clindamycin was seen in 5% of isolates.