Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE:To assess trends in risk for obstetric venous thromboembolism (VTE). METHODS:This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the 2008-2019 Merative MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters and Medicaid Multi-State databases. Women aged 15-54 years with a delivery hospitalization and health care enrollment from 1 year before pregnancy to 60 days after delivery were identified. Risk for VTE during pregnancy from 2009 to 2019 was analyzed with joinpoint regression, with trends reported as the average annual percent change (APC). Venous thromboembolism events were identified with diagnosis codes along with pharmacy receipt of anticoagulants. Additionally, the association between risk factors for VTE and VTE events was evaluated with log-Poisson regression models with unadjusted and adjusted risk ratios (aRR) with 95% CIs as measures of association. RESULTS:Among 1,970,971 pregnancies, there were 5,270 VTE events, of which 35.5% (n=1,871) included a pulmonary embolism diagnosis and 64.5% (3,399) included a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis, alone. Risk for VTE increased significantly during pregnancy over the study period, with an APC of 9.2% (95% CI, 5.7-12.9%). Rates of VTE also increased individually during the antenatal period (APC 8.2%, 95% CI, 3.7-12.9%), during delivery hospitalizations (APC 12.2%, 95% CI, 7.4-17.3%), during the postpartum period (APC 8.4%, 95% CI, 5.9-11.0%), and individually for vaginal and cesarean delivery hospitalizations. Trends analyses individually for pulmonary embolism (APC 12.4%, 95% CI, 8.6-16.4%) and deep vein thrombosis (APC 7.6%, 95% CI, 4.0-11.3%) also demonstrated significant increases. In adjusted analyses for VTE, obesity (aRR 1.91, 95% CI, 1.78-2.05), chronic heart disease (aRR 3.14, 95% CI, 2.93-3.37), tobacco use (aRR 1.61, 95% CI, 1.34-1.95), asthma (aRR 1.46, 95% CI, 1.33-1.60), and preeclampsia (aRR 1.44, 95% CI, 1.31-1.58) were the factors associated the greatest increased adjusted relative risk. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Risk for obstetric VTE increased significantly over the study period. Risk increased during the antenatal, delivery, and postpartum periods and for both cesarean and vaginal delivery.

BACKGROUND:Given the risks associated with congenital heart disease in the postpartum period, epidemiologic data identifying risk factors and timing of complications may be useful in improving postpartum care. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to determine the timing of, risk factors for, and complications associated with 60-day postpartum readmissions following deliveries with maternal congenital heart disease. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS:The 2010-2020 Nationwide Readmissions Database was used for this retrospective cohort study. Postpartum readmissions occurring within 60 days of delivery hospitalization discharge were ascertained. Clinical, demographic, and hospital risk factors associated with postpartum readmission were analyzed using logistic regression models, with unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios as measures of association. Among patients with congenital heart disease, the role of additional cardiac risk factors in the likelihood of readmission was analyzed. Risks for adverse maternal outcomes during readmission were analyzed, including severe maternal morbidity, cardiac severe maternal morbidity, and a critical care composite. RESULTS:Of an estimated 40,780,439 delivery hospitalizations, 35,242 had an associated congenital heart disease diagnosis (8.6 per 10,000), including 2279 (6.5%) with complex congenital heart disease and 32,963 (93.5%) with noncomplex congenital heart disease. The proportion of deliveries with a maternal congenital heart disease diagnosis increased significantly from 6.7 per 10,000 in 2010 to 11.8 in 2020. Overall risk for 60-day postpartum readmission was 1.6% among women without congenital heart disease and 3.1% among women with congenital heart disease (P<.01). Among women with congenital heart disease, 36.0% of 60-day postpartum readmissions occurred 1 to 5 days after discharge, 18.0% 5 to 10 days after discharge, and 14.5% 10 to 20 days after discharge. In adjusted models for the entire population, congenital heart disease retained a significant association with 60-day postpartum readmission (adjusted odds ratio, 1.73; 95% confidence interval, 1.55-1.94). When the cohort was restricted to deliveries with congenital heart disease, adjusted analyses demonstrated increased odds associated with additional cardiac risk factors (congestive heart failure: adjusted odds ratio, 1.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.62; arrhythmia: adjusted odds ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.27-2.21; pulmonary circulation disorders: adjusted odds ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.24; and chronic hypertension: adjusted odds ratio, 1.88; 95% confidence interval, 1.26-2.80), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.49-2.61), and cesarean delivery (primary adjusted odds ratio, 1.82; 95% confidence interval, 1.39-2.38; repeat cesarean: adjusted odds ratio, 1.91; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-2.55). The risk of adverse outcomes during readmissions was higher for women with congenital heart disease than for those without (severe maternal morbidity: 23.8% vs 16.1%; P<.01; cardiac severe maternal morbidity: 9.6% vs 4.9%; P<.01; and a critical care composite: 3.1% vs 1.8%; P<.01). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Deliveries with congenital heart disease were associated with increased odds of postpartum readmission and complications during readmissions. Most readmissions occurred soon after delivery discharge. Among patients with congenital heart disease, risk for readmission was higher in the setting of additional cardiac risk factors, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and cesarean delivery.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate trends, risk factors, and outcomes associated with infections and sepsis during delivery hospitalizations in the United States. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: The 2000-2020 National Inpatient Sample was used for this repeated cross-sectional analysis. Delivery hospitalizations of patients aged 15 to 54 with and without infection and sepsis were identified. Common infection diagnoses during delivery hospitalizations analyzed included (i) pyelonephritis, (ii) pneumonia/influenza, (iii) endometritis, (iv) cholecystitis, (v) chorioamnionitis, and (vi) wound infection. Temporal trends in sepsis and infection during delivery hospitalizations were analyzed. The associations between sepsis and infection and common chronic health conditions including asthma, chronic hypertension, pregestational diabetes, and obesity were analyzed. The associations between clinical, demographic, and hospital characteristics, and infection and sepsis were determined with unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models with unadjusted odds ratio (OR) and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals as measures of association. RESULTS: An estimated 80,158,622 delivery hospitalizations were identified and included in the analysis, of which 2,766,947 (3.5%) had an infection diagnosis and 32,614 had a sepsis diagnosis (4.1 per 10,000). The most common infection diagnosis was chorioamnionitis (2.7% of deliveries) followed by endometritis (0.4%), and wound infections (0.3%). Infection and sepsis were more common in the setting of chronic health conditions. Evaluating trends in individual infection diagnoses, endometritis and wound infection decreased over the study period both for patients with and without chronic conditions, while risk for pyelonephritis and pneumonia/influenza increased. Sepsis increased over the study period for deliveries with and without chronic condition diagnoses. Risks for adverse outcomes including mortality, severe maternal morbidity, the critical care composite, and acute renal failure were all significantly increased in the presence of sepsis and infection. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS: Endometritis and wound infections decreased over the study period while risk for sepsis increased. Infection and sepsis were associated with chronic health conditions and accounted for a significant proportion of adverse obstetric outcomes including severe maternal morbidity. KEY POINTS/CONCLUSIONS:· Sepsis increased over the study period for deliveries with and without chronic condition diagnoses.. · Endometritis and wound infection decreased over the study period.. · Infection and sepsis accounted for a significant proportion of adverse obstetric outcomes..

The coordinated biomechanical performance of maternal tissues facilitates healthy pregnancy. Quantifying uterine and cervical biomechanical function has been challenging due to minimal data on the anatomy's shape, size, and material properties across gestation. Addressing this challenge, this study quantifies structural features of human pregnancy by assessing maternal reproductive tissues and estimated fetal weight in 47 low-risk pregnancies at four gestation times. Uterocervical size and estimated fetal weight were measured via ultrasound, and cervical stiffness was measured via mechanical aspiration. Patient-specific uterocervical solid models were built for each time point, and uterocervical dimensions and cervical stiffness rate changes were assessed between time points. We found that uterine growth rates are time- and direction-dependent, with cervical softening occurring fastest in early gestation and cervical shortening fastest in late gestation. In conclusion, this work enables computational modeling platforms (i.e., digital twins) to explore the structural performance of the uterus and cervix in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate risk for adverse obstetric outcomes associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic period and with COVID-19 diagnoses. DESIGN/METHODS:Serial cross-sectional study. SETTING/METHODS:A national sample of US delivery hospitalisations before (1/2016 to 2/2020) and during the first 10 months of (3/2020 to 12/2020) the COVID-19 pandemic. POPULATION/METHODS:All 2016-2020 US delivery hospitalisations in the National Inpatient Sample. METHODS:Delivery hospitalisations were identified and stratified into pre-pandemic and pandemic periods and the likelihood of adverse obstetric outcomes was compared using logistic regression models with adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) as measures of association. Risk for adverse outcomes was also analysed specifically for 2020 deliveries with a COVID-19 diagnosis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE/METHODS:Adverse maternal outcomes including respiratory complications and cardiac morbidity. RESULTS:Of an estimated 18.2 million deliveries, 2.9 million occurred during the pandemic. The proportion of delivery hospitalisations with a COVID-19 diagnosis increased from 0.1% in March 2020 to 3.1% in December. Comparing the pandemic period to the pre-pandemic period, there were higher adjusted odds of transfusion (aOR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05-1.19), a respiratory complication composite (aOR 1.37, 95% CI 1.29-1.46), cardiac severe maternal morbidity (aOR 1.30, 95% 1.20-1.39), postpartum haemorrhage (aOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.15-1.24), placental abruption/antepartum haemorrhage (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00-1.08), and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.21-1.26). These associations were similar to unadjusted analysis. Risk for these outcomes during the pandemic period was significantly higher in the presence of a COVID-19 diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS:In a national estimate of delivery hospitalisations, the odds of cardiac and respiratory outcomes were higher in 2020 compared with 2016-2019. COVID-19 diagnoses were specifically associated with a range of serious complications.

BACKGROUND:Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a form of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) that occurs during the final month of pregnancy through the first 5 months postpartum, is associated with heightened risk for maternal morbidity and mortality. Stroke is a common complication of HFrEF but there is limited data on the incidence of stroke in PPCM. METHODS:Using statewide, nonfederal administrative data from 2000 to 2015, we analyzed age-adjusted risk of stroke within 3 years after PPCM-associated pregnancies. RESULTS:PPCM was associated with a greater than 4-fold increased risk of pregnancy-related stroke (aHR 4.7, 95% CI: 3.0-7.5). This risk was highest at the time of PPCM diagnosis but remained elevated in the first postpartum year. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Our findings confirm the strong association between PPCM and stroke, with risk that persists throughout and after the peripartum period.

OBJECTIVE:To characterize national trends in expedited postpartum discharge and, secondarily, to identify predictors of expedited postpartum discharge and assess whether expedited postpartum discharge was associated with postpartum readmissions within 60 days of delivery hospitalization discharge. METHODS:Birth hospitalizations and subsequent 60-day postpartum readmissions were extracted from the 2016-2020 Nationwide Readmissions Database for this retrospective cohort study. Postpartum discharge was categorized as expedited (less than 2 days after vaginal birth or less than 3 days after cesarean birth), routine (2 days after vaginal birth or 3 days after cesarean birth), or prolonged (more than 2 days after vaginal birth or more than 3 days after cesarean birth). Trends in expedited discharge were assessed over the study period with joinpoint regression. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were performed to assess clinical, hospital, and demographic predictors of expedited postpartum discharge. Sixty-day postpartum readmission risk was calculated, and adjusted regression models were performed to evaluate the association between expedited postpartum discharge and readmission. RESULTS:Of 17.9 million birth hospitalizations, 32.9% had expedited postpartum discharge. The overall 60-day postpartum readmission rate after delivery hospitalization discharge was 1.7% for all patients, 1.4% for expedited postpartum discharge, 1.6% for routine discharge, and 3.3% for prolonged discharge. Rates of expedited postpartum increased from 29.1% in 2016 to 31.4% in 2019 and to 43.8% in 2020. This trend was not significant (average annual percent change: 9.9%, 95% CI, -1.6% to 23.7%), although rates of expedited discharge were significantly higher in 2020 than in 2016-2019 ( P <.01). Younger and older age, chronic comorbid conditions, mental health conditions, and obstetric complications (eg, transfusion, chorioamnionitis or endometritis) were associated with lower likelihood of expedited postpartum discharge. Expedited postpartum discharge was associated with 14% lower adjusted odds of 60-day postpartum readmission compared with routine discharge (adjusted odds ratio 0.86, 95% CI, 0.85-0.88). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Rates of expedited postpartum discharge increased significantly in 2020 compared with 2016-2019 and were not associated with 60-day postpartum readmission. These findings suggest that broader use of expedited postpartum discharge has not resulted in increased risk of postpartum readmissions.

OBJECTIVE:Gastroschisis is a full-thickness congenital defect of the abdominal wall through which intestines and other organs may herniate. In a prior analysis, attempted vaginal delivery with fetal gastroschisis appeared to increase through 2013, although cesarean delivery remained common. The objective of this analysis was to update current trends in attempted vaginal birth among pregnancies complicated by gastroschisis. STUDY DESIGN:We performed an updated cross-sectional analysis of live births from 2014 and 2020 using data from the U.S. National Vital Statistics System and evaluated trends in attempted vaginal deliveries among births with gastroschisis. Trends were evaluated using joinpoint regression. We constructed logistic regression models to evaluate the association between demographic and clinical variables and attempted vaginal delivery in the setting of gastroschisis. RESULTS:Among 5,355 deliveries with gastroschisis meeting inclusion criteria, attempted vaginal delivery increased significantly from 68.9% to 75.1%, an average annual percent change of 1.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8-2.5). Among gastroschisis-complicated pregnancies, patients 35 to 39 years old (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.53; 95% CI, 0.37-0.79) and Hispanic race/ethnicity (aOR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.58-0.62) were at lower likelihood of attempted vaginal delivery in adjusted analyses. CONCLUSION:These findings suggest that vaginal delivery continues to increase in the setting of gastroschisis. Further reduction of surgical delivery for this fetal defect may be possible. KEY POINTS:· Vaginal deliveries increased among gastroschisis pregnancies.. · Hispanic patients were less likely to attempt vaginal delivery.. · Some gastroschisis pregnancies still deliver surgically..

OBJECTIVE:To analyse trends, risk factors and adverse outcomes associated with antenatal pyelonephritis hospitalisations. DESIGN/METHODS:Retrospective cohort. SETTING/METHODS:A national sample of US delivery hospitalisations with associated antenatal hospitalisations. POPULATION/METHODS:US delivery hospitalisations in the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2010 to 2020. METHODS:Antenatal hospitalisations with a pyelonephritis diagnosis within the 9 months before delivery hospitalisation were analysed. Clinical, demographic and hospital risk factors associated with antenatal pyelonephritis hospitalisations were analysed with unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models with unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios as measures of effect. Temporal trends in antenatal pyelonephritis hospitalisations were analysed with Joinpoint regression to determine the relative measure of average annual percent change (AAPC). Risk for severe maternal morbidity and sepsis during antenatal pyelonephritis hospitalisations was similarly analysed with Joinpoint regression. RESULTS:Of an estimated 10.2 million delivery hospitalisations, 49 140 (0.48%) had an associated antenatal pyelonephritis hospitalisation. The proportion of deliveries with a preceding antenatal pyelonephritis hospitalisation decreased by 29% from 0.56% in 2010 to 0.40% in 2020 (AAPC -2.9%, 95% CI -4.0% to -1.9%). Antenatal pyelonephritis decreased, but risk for sepsis diagnoses increased during these hospitalisations from 3.7% in 2010 to 18.0% in 2020 (AAPC 17.2%, 95% CI 14.2%-21.1%). Similarly, risk for severe morbidity increased from 2.6% in 2010 to 4.4% in 2020 (AAPC 5.5%, 95% CI 0.8%-10.7%). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Antenatal pyelonephritis admissions appear to be decreasing in the USA. However, these hospitalisations are associated with a rising risk for sepsis and severe maternal morbidity.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Structural racism (SR) is viewed as a root cause of racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. However, evidence linking SR to increased odds of severe adverse maternal outcomes (SAMO) is scant. This study assessed the association between state-level indicators of SR and SAMO during childbirth. METHODS:Data for non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic white women came from the US Natality file, 2017-2018. The exposures were state-level Black-to-white inequity ratios for lower education level, unemployment, and prison incarceration. The outcome was patient-level SAMO, including eclampsia, blood transfusion, hysterectomy, or intensive care unit admission. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of SAMO associated with each ratio were estimated using multilevel models adjusting for patient, hospital, and state characteristics. RESULTS:A total of 4,804,488 birth certificates were analyzed, with 22.5% for Black women. SAMO incidence was 106.4 per 10,000 (95% CI 104.5, 108.4) for Black women, and 72.7 per 10,000 (95% CI 71.8, 73.6) for white women. Odds of SAMO increased 35% per 1-unit increase in the unemployment ratio for Black women (aOR 1.35; 95% CI 1.04, 1.73), and 16% for white women (aOR 1.16; 95% CI 1.01, 1.33). Odds of SAMO increased 6% per 1-unit increase in the incarceration ratio for Black women (aOR 1.06; 95% CI 1.03, 1.10), and 4% for white women (aOR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02, 1.06). No significant association was observed between SAMO and the lower education level ratio. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE/CONCLUSIONS:State-level Black-to-white inequity ratios for unemployment and incarceration are associated with significantly increased odds of SAMO.