Biomedical subjects

Melissa C Bush

Publications and source records attributed to Melissa C Bush.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

How painful are amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling?

OBJECTIVES: To compare the levels of pain and anxiety associated with amniocentesis (AC), transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (TA-CVS), and transcervical chorionic villus sampling (TC-CVS). METHODS: We prospectively administered a questionnaire about pain and anxiety to 124 women undergoing AC, 40 undergoing TA-CVS, and 24 undergoing TC-CVS for singleton pregnancies. The level of pain was quantified with numerical and pictorial scales and the degree of anxiety was quantified with a numerical scale (0-100 in increments of 10). RESULTS: The mean pain score for TA-CVS, 41.4 +/- 18.1, was significantly higher than that for TC-CVS, 26.4 +/- 25.3, p = 0.008. The mean pain score for AC, 35.1 +/- 27.6, was intermediate. A higher degree of anxiety was associated with younger maternal age and nulliparity. A higher degree of anxiety was associated with a higher level of pain. CONCLUSION: In general, each procedure is associated with a tolerable amount of pain. TA-CVS appears to be the most painful procedure while TC-CVS appears to be the least painful procedure. In certain groups of patients, the procedures may be associated with higher levels of pain and/or anxiety.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Emergent (crash) cesarean delivery: indications and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to define the indications and outcomes of emergent cesarean deliveries. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed prospectively collected singleton maternal and neonatal data from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2004 of all such cesarean deliveries that were performed. A case-control analysis was performed by matching emergent cesarean deliveries with the next 2 acute cesarean deliveries. RESULTS: There were 126 emergent cesarean deliveries (1:159 deliveries). There were no significant differences in identifiable obstetric or chronic medical risk factors between the 2 groups. Compared with the control subjects, the subjects with emergent cesarean deliveries had an increased risks of cesarean delivery for non-reassuring fetal heart rate (P < .0001; odds ratio, 12.0), cord prolapse (P < .0001), and suspected uterine rupture (P < .0001); in addition, greater risk of a low 1-minute Apgar score (P < .001; odds ratio, 19.5) and low 5-minute Apgar score (P < .001; odds ratio, 10.4), acute respiratory distress of infant (P < .001; odds ratio, 4.21), and infant intubations (P < .0001; odds ratio, 8.1). CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that most emergent cesarean deliveries develop during labor in low-risk women and cannot be anticipated by prelabor factors. The outcomes demonstrate that infants are at risk in these clinical situations and suggest that strategies to improve performance in these clinical situations are important.

Apgar Score↗

PubMed2006

Is misoprostol safe for labor induction in twin gestations?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety and efficacy of intravaginal misoprostol to oxytocin for the induction of labor in twin gestations. METHODS: All twin gestations that underwent induction of labor with misoprostol or oxytocin during a 4-year period were identified from the Mount Sinai obstetrical database. Only twins > or = 34 weeks with a vertex presenting twin A were included. Labor and delivery characteristics, maternal complications and neonatal outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Of 134 patients with twins, 57 initially received misoprostol and 77 received oxytocin. These groups had similar demographics, but women who received misoprostol had less cervical dilation (0.8 vs. 2.2 cm, p < 0.0001) and were less likely to be multiparous (19% vs. 44%, p = 0.003). There was a shorter length of induction to delivery (7.8 hours vs. 15.1 hours, p = 0.001) and a trend toward a lower cesarean section rate (16.9% vs. 31.6%, p = 0.06) in the oxytocin-only group. There were no cases of uterine rupture or maternal mortality in this series. There were no significant differences in neonatal outcomes between the two groups, but the sample size was underpowered to detect significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Misoprostol and oxytocin both appear to be safe and efficacious for use in inductions of labor in twins in this limited retrospective investigation. The safety of these agents with regard to neonatal outcomes should be confirmed by larger studies.

Administration, Intravaginal↗

PubMed2005

Down syndrome screening in twins.

Available methods for screening for Down syndrome (DS) in twin gestations include maternal age, first-trimester nuchal translucency, first-trimester combined screening, second-trimester genetic sonography, second-trimester quad screening, and combinations of tests across different gestational ages. Biochemical screening is generally associated with detection rates at least 15% less than in singleton pregnancies. Nuchal translucency measurement may help close that gap, but the best available data (based on modeling) show approximately 75% to 85% detection rates for DS, with a 5% false-positive rate. Patients accepting screening should be aware of all options should a diagnosis of fetal aneuploidy be confirmed, including pregnancy continuation, termination of the entire pregnancy, and selective termination of an aneuploid fetus.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

PubMed2004

Is discordant growth in twins an independent risk factor for adverse neonatal outcome?

OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether discordant growth is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes in twins after adjusting for growth restriction. METHODS: This was a retrospective, hospital-based cohort study of twin gestations with 2 live births delivered at 24 weeks or later from 1992 to 2001. Twin gestations were classified as small for gestational age (SGA) if one or both infants was less than the 10th percentile at birth by singleton Brenner norms and discordant if there was a 20% or more weight discordance. RESULTS: Of 1318 twin pairs, 856 were appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and concordant, 70 pairs were AGA and discordant, 254 pairs were SGA and concordant, and 138 pairs were SGA and discordant. The 4 groups had similar maternal demographics and medical comorbidity. When adjusting for chorionicity, antenatal steroid use, oligohydramnios, preeclampsia, and gestational age at delivery, discordant twins were more likely to have a cesarean delivery (odds ratio 1.87; 95% confidence interval 1.22, 2.87) and to be associated with some adverse neonatal outcomes (low and very low birthweight, neonatal intensive care unit admission, neonatal oxygen requirement and hyperbilirubinemia) independent of SGA status. A statistically nonsignificant trend (odds ratio 2.4; 95% confidence interval 0.99, 6.01) toward higher rates of intraventricular hemorrhage was noted in discordant twins, and no difference was seen for ventilator requirement, respiratory distress syndrome, or necrotizing enterocolitis. CONCLUSION: Discordance places twins at increased risk for some adverse perinatal outcomes, whether they are AGA or SGA. Discordance was not an independent risk factor for serious neonatal morbidity or mortality; however, this study was underpowered to detect those differences.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Noninvasive management of Rh partial null (D--) to supplement traditional management of Rh isoimmunization.

BACKGROUND: Rh partial null (D--) is a rare cause of Rh sensitization in an Rh-positive patient. Noninvasive management for this condition using middle cerebral artery Doppler studies was used to reduce invasive testing. CASE: An Rh D+ woman had an antibody titer of 1:512 to Rh-17, the Rh Cc/Ee protein. Rh typing revealed absence of any antigens at the Cc/Ee locus. Her husband was Rh D--, ccee. Middle cerebral artery Doppler studies and serial amniocenteses for Delta OD(450) were performed. When testing suggested severe fetal anemia, two intrauterine transfusions were performed. CONCLUSION: Middle cerebral artery Doppler studies can be used to predict fetal anemia before the first transfusion. However, the cutoff to predict subsequent anemia in Rh D-- after transfusion remains to be defined.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Pregnancy outcome in liver transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pregnancy course, complications, and outcomes in liver transplant recipients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 38 pregnancies conceived between 1992 and 2002 in 29 women who underwent liver transplantation at Mount Sinai Medical Center. RESULTS: The most common primary liver disease was autoimmune hepatitis. All patients were on immunosuppressive regimens that included cyclosporine A or tacrolimus. There were four spontaneous first-trimester abortions and ten first-trimester terminations for worsening liver function. The interval from transplantation to pregnancy was shorter in the group that had abortions and terminations (24.4 +/- 24.3 months) as compared with the group that had live births (47.8 +/- 28.7 months), P =.02. There were 24 live births to 20 patients. The mean gestational age at delivery was 36.4 weeks, and the mean birth weight was 2762 g. Pregnancy complications included preeclampsia (20.8%), chronic hypertension (20.8%), hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets syndrome (8.3%), creatinine 1.3 mg/dL or more (25.0%), anemia (33.3%), diabetes (37.5%), cesarean delivery (45.8%), preterm birth less than 37 weeks (29.2%), intrauterine growth restriction (16.7%), and biopsy-proven graft rejection during pregnancy (16.7%). There were no intrauterine or neonatal deaths. All 5-minute Apgar scores were greater than 7. Four minor congenital anomalies were noted. Before 1997, there were five maternal deaths, 10-54 months after pregnancy. Pregnancy complications in our population were more common in those patients who delivered from 1992 to 1997 than in those who delivered from 1998 to 2002. CONCLUSION: Pregnancy planned at least 2 years after liver transplantation with stable allograft function can have excellent maternal and neonatal outcome.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

PubMed2003

Multifetal pregnancy reduction and selective termination.

MPR and ST are important options for patients who have multifetal pregnancies. Both procedures have been shown to be technically safe and result in acceptable pregnancy loss rates and GAs at delivery. An important caveat is that these findings are observed in centers that have vast experience performing this type of procedure and should not be generalized to all centers. The authors believe that the good outcomes reported here and elsewhere are a result of having a relatively limited number of operators adhering to a strict common protocol and that they should not be generalized to all centers. Awareness of the ethical and psychological issues aids counseling of patients and their follow-up, but more information is needed in this area. Finally, it is the authors' hope that advances in ART will decrease the need for MPR procedures in the future.

Female↗

PubMed2003

Pregnancy in a persistent vegetative state: case report, comparison to brain death, and review of the literature.

UNLABELLED: Severe maternal neurologic injury during pregnancy has the potential for fetal demise without advanced critical care support to the mother. Brain death is the unequivocal and irreversible loss of total brain function, whereas patients in a vegetative state, by contrast, have preserved brain stem function but lack cerebral function. They can appear to be awake, have sleep-wake cycles, be capable of swallowing, and have normal respiratory control, but there are no purposeful interactions. These conditions have different maternal prognoses, but both have resulted in near-normal neonatal outcomes with long latencies from maternal injury to delivery in previously published cases. This article compares and contrasts the 11 cases of brain death with 15 cases of persistent vegetative state in pregnancy. We found that the mean latency between maternal brain injury and delivery was significantly shorter in the brain-dead patients as compared with those in a vegetative state (46 days vs. 124 days, P </=.001). Correspondingly, the gestational ages at delivery (29.7 weeks vs. 33.2 weeks, P </=.01) and the birth weights (1380 g vs. 2145 g, P </=.01) were shorter in duration and smaller in size in the brain-dead group. We also present a case of persistent vegetative state in pregnancy at our institution with both maternal and neonatal death in the context of previously published literature with a focus on obstetric and ethical management. We hope this information will help elucidate the issues for providers confronted with these unique and challenging cases. TARGET AUDIENCE: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After completion of this article, the reader should be able to state the difference between coma, persistent vegetative state and brain death, to describe the neurologic aspects of a patient in a persistent vegetative state, and to list the fetal effects of maternal brain injury.

Adult↗