American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
-
Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Aug 2019
Evidence in support of the International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy study groups' criteria for diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus worldwide in 2019.
Gestational diabetes mellitus, the most frequent medical complication of pregnancy, affects 5-6% of women in the United States with the use of the currently predominant Carpenter-Coustan criteria, which still represent the preferred approach of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Alternative criteria proposed by the International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Groups would likely increase gestational diabetes mellitus prevalence to 15-20%, because of both a 1-step testing policy and the requirement for only 1 elevated glucose value for diagnosis. Increasing gestational diabetes mellitus prevalence relates to older maternal age and the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. ⋯ Although prevention of obesity and prediabetes in offspring by pregnancy treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus has not been demonstrated to date, we argue that the immediate pregnancy benefits and opportunities for long-term improvements in maternal health justify a reevaluation of the current ambivalent approach taken by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosis, which currently allow for a choice of alternative criteria. The Carpenter-Coustan or National Diabetes Data Group criteria, listed as preferred criteria by American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, markedly limit the frequency of gestational diabetes mellitus in comparison with the International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Groups criteria and limit the opportunity for immediate and long-term follow up and treatment. We consider that new information from the Hyperglycemia and Pregnancy Outcome Follow Up Study and other recent publications on long-term maternal and offspring risk provides compelling arguments for a more comprehensive approach to the promotion of maternal and infant health through all the life cycle.
-
Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Aug 2019
Better late than never: why obstetricians must implement enhanced recovery after cesarean.
Despite persistent concerns about high cesarean delivery rates internationally, there has been less attention on improving perioperative outcomes for the millions of women who will experience a cesarean delivery each year. Enhanced recovery after surgery, a standardized, evidence-based, interdisciplinary protocol, has been successfully used in other surgical specialties including gynecology to improve quality of care and patient satisfaction while reducing overall health care costs through reduced length of stay. Enhanced recovery after surgery society guidelines for cesarean delivery were just released in August 2018. ⋯ We believe enhanced recovery after surgery for cesarean delivery can effectively address 3 challenges faced by obstetrician/gynecologists. These are: (1) improving care for the high number of women undergoing cesarean deliveries; (2) using evidence-based care bundles to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality, address disparities, and reduce costs; and (3) limiting postoperative opioid prescribing in response to the opioid crisis. Enhanced recovery after surgery for cesarean delivery and other standardized care protocols have the potential to reduce the disproportionately high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States, and ensure all patients, regardless of demographics or location, receive the same level of high-quality peripartum care.