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Objectives: There have been significant advances in the medical management of severe postpartum hemorrhage (sPPH) over recent decades, which is reflected in numerous published guidelines. To date, many of the currently available national and international guidelines recommend recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) to be used only at a very late stage in the course of sPPH, as a "last resort", before or after hysterectomy. Based on new safety data, rFVIIa has recently been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Swissmedic for use in sPPH, if uterotonics are insufficient to achieve hemostasis, which in fact is significantly earlier in the course of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). We therefore aimed to develop expert consensus guidance as a step toward standardizing care with the use of rFVIIa for clinicians managing women experiencing life-threatening sPPH. Methods: The consensus process consisted of one face-to-face meeting with a group of nine experts, including eight obstetrician-gynecologists and a hematologist highly experienced in sPPH care in tertiary care perinatal centers. The panel was representative of multidisciplinary expertise in the European obstetrics community and provided consensus opinion in answer to pre-defined questions around clinical practice with rFVIIa in the management of sPPH. Recommendations have been based on current national and international guidelines, extensive clinical experience, and consensus opinion, as well as the availability of efficacy and new safety data. Results: The expert panel developed 17 consensus statements in response to the 13 pre-defined questions on the use of rFVIIa in the management of sPPH including: available efficacy and safety data and the need for interdisciplinary expertise between obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and hematologists in the management of sPPH. Based on novel data, the experts recommend: (1) earlier administration of rFVIIa in patients with sPPH who do not respond to uterotonic administration to optimize the efficacy of rFVIIa; (2) the importance of hematological parameter prerequisites prior to the administration of rFVIIa to maximize efficacy; and (3) continued evaluation or initiation of further invasive procedures according to standard practice. Furthermore, recommendations on the timing of rFVIIa treatment within the sPPH management algorithm are outlined in a range of specified clinical scenarios and settings, including vaginal delivery, cesarean section, and smaller birthing units before transfer to a tertiary care center. The panel agreed that according to available, and new data, as well as real-world experience, there is no evidence that the use of rFVIIa in patients with sPPH increases the risk of thromboembolism. The authors acknowledge that there is still limited clinical effectiveness data, as well as pharmacoeconomic data, on the use of rFVIIa in sPPH, and recommend further clinical trials and efficacy investigation. Conclusions: This expert panel provides consensus guidance based on recently available data, clinical experience, and expert opinion, augmented by the recent approval of rFVIIa for use in sPPH by the EMA. These consensus statements are intended to support clinical care for sPPH and may help to provide the impetus and a starting point for updates to existing clinical practice guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers guidelines from the European Association of Perinatal Medicine for preterm labor and birth management. Topics discussed include the etiology of spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD), a study suggesting that placenta is not sterile, and the studies that published the risk factors for spontaneous PTD.

Group B streptococcus (GBS) remains worldwide a leading cause of severe neonatal disease. Since the end of the 1990s, various strategies for prevention of the early onset neonatal disease have been implemented and have evolved. When a universal antenatal GBS screening-based strategy is used to identify women who are given an intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis, a substantial reduction of incidence up to 80% has been reported in the USA as in other countries including European countries. However recommendations are still a matter of debate due to challenges and controversies on how best to identify candidates for prophylaxis and to drawbacks of intrapartum administration of antibiotics. In Europe, some countries recommend either antenatal GBS screening or risk-based strategies, or any combination, and others do not have national or any other kind of guidelines for prevention of GBS perinatal disease. Furthermore, accurate population-based data of incidence of GBS neonatal disease are not available in some countries and hamper good effectiveness evaluation of prevention strategies. To facilitate a consensus towards European guidelines for the management of pregnant women in labor and during pregnancy for the prevention of GBS perinatal disease, a conference was organized in 2013 with a group of experts in neonatology, gynecology-obstetrics and clinical microbiology coming from European representative countries. The group reviewed available data, identified areas where results were suboptimal, where revised procedures and new technologies could improve current practices for prevention of perinatal GBS disease. The key decision issued after the conference is to recommend intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis based on a universal intrapartum GBS screening strategy using a rapid real time testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Retrospective analysis of the course of pregnancy, labor and mode of anesthesia in women with portal hypertension and esophageal varices induced by portal vein thrombosis. Material: From 2000 to 2012 seven pregnant were admitted. None had liver transplantation (Ltx), the varicose have been in the 1st stage. Each of them has been consulted by the obstetrician, transplant surgeon and anesthetist. The patient condition during pregnancy, labor and postpartum period was analyzed. Results: Pregnancy in five cases proceeded physiologically. In one threatening miscarriage was diagnosed and treated with gestagens, two patients had tocolytic. One required variceal banding twice. In three thrombocytopenia worsened, with platelet count < 70 g/L (up to 59 g/L). They received platelet transfusion before delivery. In one case, significant hipoproteinemia (4.7 g/L) occurred. In a case, GDM G1 and oligohydramnios were found. All women delivered at term (37-40 Hbd). In all general anesthesia with the use of remifentanil was done. There were no fluctuations in MAP and HR. Incision to delivery time was 2.5 min. Time from opioid administration to birth was <4 min. All children were born in good condition, weight 10-90 percentile. Regional anesthesia is contraindicated in patients with thrombocytopenia. In patients with esophageal varices sudden increase in heart rate and blood pressure can cause hemorrhage. Conclusion: Patients with portal hypertension can deliver at term. It is a high-risk pregnancy. In this group it is desirable to shorten the second stage of labor or complete it by c-section under general anesthesia with remifentanyl which allows getting desired analgesia without complications in the newborn. Surveillance of pregnant with portal hypertension must include monitoring of liver function and coagulation disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]