Zeitschrift für Geburtshilfe und Neonatologie
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Foetal hypoxia may lead to multi-organ failure and cerebral injury. Usually this process is accompanied by severe metabolic acidosis. The base excess (BE) determined in umbilical artery (UA) blood is the most appropriate parameter to evaluate metabolic acidosis. The correct determination of BE therefore is of paramount importance both for the jeopardised foetus and the obstetrician in litigation. In blood, BE is dependent on the oxygen saturation [sO2 (%)] of haemoglobin (cHb). Due to the normally low foetal pO2 values in UA blood (median: ca. 18 mmHg) sO2 is low as well; therefore computational correction of BE to - by definition - 100 % oxygen saturation seems to be mandatory. This paper presents an analysis of this complex problem in obstetrics. ⋯ Correction of BE in UA, i. e., correction of BE to 100 % oxygen saturation using the (calculated) actual oxygen saturation (%) of the blood sample is mandatory in perinatal medicine. Correction uniformly leads to lower BE values (median: 2.7 mmol / L) and significantly higher correlation coefficients with important clinical variables (e. g., the APGAR index).
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Z Geburtshilfe Neonatol · Apr 2007
Case Reports[Twin pregnancy and severe obstructive sleep apnea].
Obstructive sleep apnea during pregnancy, associated with arterial hypertension, pre-eclampsia and adverse outcome of the newborn, has been described. Usually it can successfully be treated with non-invasive ventilation. A 36-year-old, twin-pregnant woman at 28 + 6 weeks of gestation presented with the complaints of snoring and nocturnal oxygen desaturations. ⋯ After surgery non-invasive ventilation had to be continued for another six weeks before the condition improved. In contrast to the documented benefits of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation in pregnant women the literature, in our case even with sufficient therapy of sleep apnea progressive pre-eclampsia and premature delivery could not be prevented. Possible explanations include the short treatment duration and existence of twin pregnancy.
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Z Geburtshilfe Neonatol · Feb 2007
Case Reports[Marfan syndrome in pregnancy: presentation of four cases and discussion].
The coincidence of Marfan syndrome and pregnancy means a high risk for mother and child, as it is associated with cardiovascular and obstetric complications. We report our experience of four pregnancies with the Marfan syndrome. The course of pregnancy, the peripartum management and both the maternal and neonatal outcomes of four pregnant women with the Marfan syndrome, who were treated in our department between 1995 and 2005, were retrospectively analysed. ⋯ Three newborns underwent a genetic evaluation for the Marfan syndrome, in two of them mutations in the fibrillin 1 gene were detected. Women with the Marfan syndrome should be counselled pre-conception and observed by an interdisciplinary team during pregnancy. If the aortic root diameter is < 40 mm, without progression in pregnancy, and in the absence of severe valve insufficiency, then pregnancy is in most cases well tolerated and vaginal delivery can be performed.
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Z Geburtshilfe Neonatol · Jun 2006
Controlled Clinical Trial[Pain management and coping behaviour in premature babies (< 1500 g) at corrected age of 36 months influence of neonatal experience and maternal anxiety].
Neonatal experience of pain and distress can lead to developmental problems, which can be associated with long-term emotional and behavioural disorders. The aim of the study was to analyse the effects of early experiences of pain and maternal reactions on the pain and coping behaviour of preterm infants. ⋯ While preterms do not have a higher pain threshold in general, a subgroup does have a higher risk for later sensation to pain. Preterms use more unfavourable coping strategies in simple injuries which, in turn, seem to be decisively mediated by maternal anxiety. Future research should focus on psycho-social factors involved in the development of pain reactions, as these can predispose towards behavioural disorders.