Cost and clinical utility of repeated syphilis screening in the third trimester in a high-risk population.

Objective: We sought to determine the clinical utility and cost of repeating syphilis testing in the third trimester of pregnancy in a high-risk urban population.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed for patients delivering from January 1993 through December 2009 with at least 1 venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) test sent during pregnancy. Chart review was performed for patients with confirmed syphilis to determine the temporal relationship of syphilis diagnosis to the pregnancy.

Repeated hematocrit measurements in low-risk pregnant women.

Objective: To determine the incidence of anemia in the third trimester among women with normal hematocrits early in pregnancy.

Study Design: Low-risk women seeking prenatal care were identified. Patients with a hematocrit >33% in the first or second trimester and a hematocrit drawn in the third trimester were included.