Nipocalimab in Early-Onset Severe Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn.

Background: In early-onset severe hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN), transplacental transfer of maternal antierythrocyte IgG alloantibodies causes fetal anemia that leads to the use of high-risk intrauterine transfusions in order to avoid fetal hydrops and fetal death. Nipocalimab, an anti-neonatal Fc receptor blocker, inhibits transplacental IgG transfer and lowers maternal IgG levels.

Methods: In an international, open-label, single-group, phase 2 study, we assessed treatment with intravenous nipocalimab (30 or 45 mg per kilogram of body weight per week) administered from 14 to 35 weeks' gestation in participants with pregnancies at high risk for recurrent early-onset severe HDFN.

Lasix for the prevention of de novo postpartum hypertension: a randomized placebo-controlled trial (LAPP Trial).

Background: Birthing people with de novo postpartum hypertensive disorders continue to be among the populations at highest risk for severe maternal morbidity. Randomized controlled trials demonstrate a benefit of oral loop diuretics in decreasing postpartum hypertensive morbidity in patients with an antenatal diagnosis of preeclampsia. It is not known whether this same therapy benefits patients at risk for new-onset postpartum hypertension.

Neonatal Survival After Serial Amnioinfusions for Bilateral Renal Agenesis: The Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy Trial.

Importance: Early anhydramnios during pregnancy, resulting from fetal bilateral renal agenesis, causes lethal pulmonary hypoplasia in neonates. Restoring amniotic fluid via serial amnioinfusions may promote lung development, enabling survival.

Objective: To assess neonatal outcomes of serial amnioinfusions initiated before 26 weeks' gestation to mitigate lethal pulmonary hypoplasia.

Propranolol Therapy for Congenital Chylothorax.

Congenital chylothorax is a rare and often severe anomaly without well-established medical therapies. Previously, propranolol use in patients with lymphatic malformations and secondary chylothorax was associated with improvement in clinical signs. We hypothesized that propranolol treatment would be beneficial for severe congenital chylothorax.

Design and Protocol of the Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy (RAFT) Trial.

Purpose: Anhydramnios secondary to anuria before 22 weeks of gestational age and congenital bilateral renal agenesis before 26 weeks of gestational age are collectively referred to as early-pregnancy renal anhydramnios. Early-pregnancy renal anhydramnios occurs in at least 1 in 2000 pregnancies and is considered universally fatal when left untreated because of severe pulmonary hypoplasia precluding ex utero survival The Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy (RAFT) trial is a nonrandomized, nonblinded, multicenter clinical trial designed to assess the efficacy, safety, and feasibility of amnioinfusions for patients with pregnancies complicated by early-pregnancy renal anhydramnios. The primary objective of this study is to determine the proportion of neonates surviving to successful dialysis, defined as use of a dialysis catheter for ≥14 days.

Maternal Diabetes and Intrapartum Fetal Electrocardiogram.

Objective: Fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) ST changes are associated with fetal cardiac hypoxia. Our objective was to evaluate ST changes by maternal diabetic status and stage of labor.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a multicentered randomized-controlled trial in which laboring patients with singleton gestations underwent fetal ECG scalp electrode placement and were randomly assigned to masked or unmasked ST-segment readings.

Health Care Disparities in the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States: A Focus on Obstetrics.

The influence of social determinants of health on disease dynamics and outcomes has become increasingly clear, making them a prime target of investigation and mitigation efforts. The obstetric population is uniquely positioned to provide insight into the health inequities exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic given their susceptibility to infectious disease morbidity and frequent interactions with the health care system, which provide opportunities for ascertainment of disease incidence and severity. This review summarizes the data on disparities identified in the US obstetric population during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic as they relate to race and ethnicity, built environment, insurance status, language, and immigration status.

Intrapartum Fetal Electrocardiogram in Small- and Large-for-Gestational Age Fetuses.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether intrapartum fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) tracings with ST-elevation or depression occur more frequently in each stage of labor in small-for-gestational age (SGA) or large-for-gestational age (LGA), as compared with appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) fetuses.

Study Design: We conducted a secondary analysis of a large, multicenter trial in which laboring patients underwent fetal ECG waveform-analysis. We excluded participants with diabetes mellitus and major fetal anomalies.

Intrapartum Resuscitation Interventions for Category II Fetal Heart Rate Tracings and Improvement to Category I.

Objective: To evaluate intrapartum resuscitation interventions and improvement in category II fetal heart rate (FHR) tracings.

Methods: This secondary analysis of a randomized trial of intrapartum fetal electrocardiographic ST-segment analysis included all participants with category II FHR tracings undergoing intrauterine resuscitation: maternal oxygen, intravenous fluid bolus, amnioinfusion, or tocolytic administration. Fetal heart rate pattern-recognition software was used to confirm category II FHR tracings 30 minutes before intervention and to analyze the subsequent 60 minutes.

Renal artery Doppler studies in the assessment of monochorionic, diamniotic twin pregnancies with and without twin-twin transfusion syndrome.

Background: In monochorionic, diamniotic twin pregnancies complicated by twin-twin transfusion syndrome, imbalanced fetofetal blood shunting and discordant activation of the renin-angiotensin system result in a hypovolemic, oliguric donor twin and a hypervolemic, polyuric recipient twin. Renal artery Doppler assessments have been reported to predict oligohydramnios in singleton pregnancies; however, their value in assessing monochorionic, diamniotic twin gestations, including pregnancies complicated by twin-twin transfusion syndrome, remains unstudied.

Objective: This investigation evaluated whether renal artery Doppler parameters are different between sets of monochorionic, diamniotic twins with and without twin-twin transfusion syndrome.

Outcomes of Neonates Born to Mothers With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection at a Large Medical Center in New York City.

Importance: Limited data on vertical and perinatal transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and health outcomes of neonates born to mothers with symptomatic or asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are available. Studies are needed to inform evidence-based infection prevention and control (IP&C) policies.

Objective: To describe the outcomes of neonates born to mothers with perinatal SARS-CoV-2 infection and the IP&C practices associated with these outcomes.

Telehealth Uptake into Prenatal Care and Provider Attitudes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis.

Objective: This study aimed to (1) determine to what degree prenatal care was able to be transitioned to telehealth at prenatal practices associated with two affiliated hospitals in New York City during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and (2) describe providers' experience with this transition.

Study Design: Trends in whether prenatal care visits were conducted in-person or via telehealth were analyzed by week for a 5-week period from March 9 to April 12 at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)-affiliated prenatal practices in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visits were analyzed for maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) and general obstetrical faculty practices, as well as a clinic system serving patients with public insurance.

Symptoms and Critical Illness Among Obstetric Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection.

Objective: To characterize symptoms and disease severity among pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, along with laboratory findings, imaging, and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Pregnant women with COVID-19 infection were identified at two affiliated hospitals in New York City from March 13 to April 19, 2020, for this case series study. Women were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection based on either universal testing on admission or testing because of COVID-19-related symptoms.

Telehealth for High-Risk Pregnancies in the Setting of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

As New York City became an international epicenter of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telehealth was rapidly integrated into prenatal care at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, an academic hospital system in Manhattan. Goals of implementation were to consolidate in-person prenatal screening, surveillance, and examinations into fewer in-person visits while maintaining patient access to ongoing antenatal care and subspecialty consultations via telehealth virtual visits. The rationale for this change was to minimize patient travel and thus risk for COVID-19 exposure.

Intrapartum Fetal Heart Rate Tracing Among Small-for-Gestational Age Compared With Appropriate-for-Gestational-Age Neonates.

Objective: To compare fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns during the last hour of labor between small-for-gestational-age (SGA; birth weight less than the 10th percentile for gestational age) and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA; birth weight at the 10-90th percentile) neonates at 36 weeks of gestation or greater. We also compared the rate of cesarean delivery and composite neonatal morbidity among SGA and AGA newborns.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized trial of intrapartum fetal electrocardiographic ST-segment analysis.

Second-Stage Duration and Outcomes Among Women Who Labored After a Prior Cesarean Delivery.

Objective: To characterize probabilities of vaginal delivery based on second-stage duration along with maternal and neonatal risks for women undergoing labor after cesarean delivery.

Methods: This unplanned secondary analysis of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Cesarean Registry, a prospective observational cohort, assessed outcomes in women with a prior uterine scar and included women with a previous cesarean delivery without prior vaginal delivery who reached the second stage of labor. The primary outcome was mode of delivery by second-stage duration.

North American Fetal Therapy Network: intervention vs expectant management for stage I twin-twin transfusion syndrome.

Background: Stage I twin-twin transfusion syndrome presents a management dilemma. Intervention may lead to procedure-related complications while expectant management risks deterioration. Insufficient data exist to inform decision-making.

Congenital Parvovirus B19 Infection: Persistent Viremia and Red Blood Cell Aplasia.

We describe a case of fetal parvovirus B19 infection resulting in preterm birth and leading to hydrops fetalis requiring multiple in utero transfusions. The infant developed chronic postnatal anemia responsive to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Serum viral load decreased after immunoglobulin treatment but remained detectable for over 1 year.

A Randomized Trial of Intrapartum Fetal ECG ST-Segment Analysis.

Background: It is unclear whether using fetal electrocardiographic (ECG) ST-segment analysis as an adjunct to conventional intrapartum electronic fetal heart-rate monitoring modifies intrapartum and neonatal outcomes.

Methods: We performed a multicenter trial in which women with a singleton fetus who were attempting vaginal delivery at more than 36 weeks of gestation and who had cervical dilation of 2 to 7 cm were randomly assigned to "open" or "masked" monitoring with fetal ST-segment analysis. The masked system functioned as a normal fetal heart-rate monitor.

New Insights into the Genetics of Fetal Megacystis: ACTG2 Mutations, Encoding γ-2 Smooth Muscle Actin in Megacystis Microcolon Intestinal Hypoperistalsis Syndrome (Berdon Syndrome).

Objective: To identify the molecular basis for prenatally suspected cases of megacystis microcolon intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome (MMIHS) (MIM 249210) in 3 independent families with clinical and radiographic evidence of MMIHS.

Methods: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing of the ACTG2 gene.

Results: We identified a novel heterozygous de novo missense variant in ACTG2 c.