Pediatrics

Women who smoke cigarettes and who are infected with high levels of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) increase their risk of cervical cancer as much as 27-fold, according to a Swedish study, which is one of the largest to date on the subject.

The Leapfrog Group, a national coalition of large health-care purchasers, is asking hospitals and their staffs to agree to be held accountable for events that "occur rarely, are clearly identifiable, largely preventable, have serious consequences, and should never happen," reported Medical Economics (12/15/2006). These so-called "never events" include leaving a foreign object in a patient or discharging an infant to the wrong parents.

Children born to women who take fish oil supplements during late pregnancy have better eye/hand coordination at age 2 to 3 years than their counterparts whose mothers did not take the supplements, according to a study published online Dec. 21 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal Edition.

Clinical situations that typically result in litigation and the variation in jury verdicts and awards across the nation.

Despite what some observational studies have suggested, nonsurgical treatment of periodontal disease during pregnancy does not significantly lower rates of preterm birth, low birthweight, or fetal growth restriction.

The dramatic decline in teenage pregnancy rates in the United States since 1991 is largely due to improved contraceptive use with a decline in sexual activity playing a relatively small role, according to study findings published online Nov. 30 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Michelle, a 31-year-old G1P0, is in for a routine second-trimester prenatal visit at 18 weeks. During the visit, she mentions that her family is gearing up for their winter vacation. As you are walking out the door, she says, "Oh, by the way... can I ski?"

Although serial amnioreduction is still widely used to treat this dangerous condition, a recent randomized trial found that when compared to amnioreduction at 15 to 26 weeks, overall perinatal survival is higher with laser ablation, which tries to reverse the disease process.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) lowers IVF success by more than 50%, according to the findings of a prospective study of 106 women.

Conference Highlights

Be frank about the real and potential complications when counseling patients considering assisted reproductive technologies. The list includes the link between multiple gestations and preterm delivery, the possibility of ectopic pregnancies or malformations-and much more.

Do you remember bringing something to school for "show and tell" when you were a child? That's what I did recently, only it wasn't a game. I was teaching basic medicine, obstetrics, and gynecology to medical students, lay midwives, and physicians in Liberia.

Be frank about the real and potential complications when counseling patients considering assisted reproductive technologies. The list includes the link between multiple gestations and preterm delivery, the possibility of ectopic pregnancies or malformations-and much more.

Second-born twins are at significantly greater risk for serious perinatal morbidity than first-born twins at all gestational ages, according to the results of a retrospective cohort study conducted in Nova Scotia. And the higher risk prevails regardless of presentation, chorionicity, or infant sex.

The risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is greater among people who weighed less than 1,500 g at birth compared to those who weighed more than 1,500 g, and patients with a lower birthweight tend to develop the condition earlier than their heavier counterparts, according to study findings published online Sept. 28 in Gut.

Clinical situations that typically result in litigation and the variation in jury verdicts and awards across the nation.

Reimbursement for the HPV vaccine; Dealing with sales reps; ER coverage

While most ob/gyns can recite a long list of risk factors for this lethal complication, mounting evidence suggests that maternal hypotension should be taken into account as well.

Clinical situations that typically result in litigation and the variation in jury verdicts and awards across the nation.

The majority of Americans are in favor of using a newly approved vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus, according to The Wall Street Journal (8/8/2006). About 70% of Americans agree that girls and young women should be encouraged to receive the HPV vaccine to prevent the spread of cervical cancer, while 7% disagreed and 23% were not sure.

The rate of nares colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is low in obstetric populations, according to two presentations at this year's annual IDSOG meeting. Although the rate of MRSA colonization is estimated to be 6% to 8% in new hospital admissions, the rate of colonization in obstetric populations was 2% in both studies, performed by Dr. Mara Dinsmoor at Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Ill. and by Dr. Richard Beigi at Cleveland Metro Health Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The study from Illinois reported that over 50% of the colonized mothers had risk factors for MRSA colonization. There was one case of MRSA sepsis in a neonate born to a colonized woman, but the two strains of MRSA were genetically distinct, arguing against vertical transmission from mother to baby.

Waiting 2 minutes-rather than 10 seconds-after delivery of an infant's shoulders to clamp the umbilical cord of normal-weight, full-term infants helps prevent iron deficiency from developing before 6 months of age, according to the results of a randomized, controlled trial involving almost 400 mother-infant pairs in Mexico City

Weekly doses of prenatal steroids do not improve overall outcome and are associated with lower birthweight and smaller size for gestational age compared to a single dose, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

The DeLee device has been around for more than 30 years, and with it the theory that mechanical suction at delivery can help prevent MAS. The latest evidence paints a different picture.

One in eight women of reproductive age has trouble getting pregnant. Knowing what drug treatments are available and how to use them can help you improve patient outcomes.