Indian pediatrics
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Maternal weight, height and risk of poor pregnancy outcome in Ahmedabad, India.
This paper explores the relationships between maternal weight, height and poor pregnancy outcome using a data set from a case-control study of low birth weight (LBW) and perinatal mortality in Ahmedabad, India. Maternal height and weights were compared between mothers of 611 perinatal deaths, 644 preterm-LBW, and 1465 normal birth weight controls as well as 617 small-for-gestational age (SGA) and 1851 appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) births. Weight and height were much lower in this population compared to western standards. ⋯ After adjusting for confounders, maternal weight remained significantly associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, whereas height was only weakly associated. Attributable risk estimates show that low weight is a much more important contributor to poor outcome than low height. Improvement in maternal nutritional status could lead to substantial improvement in birth outcome in this population.
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A total of 3472 deliveries were studied over a year to evaluate (i) the importance of thin meconium stained liquor (MSL) in the causation of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), and (ii) the efficacy of intrapartum plus endotracheal suction at birth in the prevention of MAS due to thin meconium. Two hundred and ninety four (8.5%) of deliveries had meconium stained liquor of which thin MSL was present in 101. MAS occurred in 98 babies. ⋯ MAS due to thin meconium occurred in asphyxiated as well as vigorous babies inspite of combined suction. Thin meconium accounts for a significant proportion of deliveries with MSL and causes a considerable number of cases of MAS. To prevent meconium aspiration syndrome caused by thin meconium, all neonates born through thin MSL, whether they are asphyxiated or not should undergo intrapartum suction followed by immediate endotracheal suction at birth.