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Importance: Management of maternal cardiac arrest (MCA) requires understanding the unique physiology of pregnancy and modifications to life support. Health care professionals have historically demonstrated inadequate knowledge and skills necessary to treat MCA., Objective: To evaluate the effect of Obstetric Life Support (OBLS) education on health care professionals' cognitive performance, skills, and self-efficacy in managing MCA., Design, Setting, and Participants: In this single-masked randomized clinical trial, 46 health care professionals, including emergency medical service and hospital staff representing diverse specialties, were randomized to intervention or control groups at a single academic medical center in Farmington, Connecticut between May 1, 2022, and July 23, 2023., Intervention: The intervention group received OBLS education, which included a blended learning curriculum with simulation-based training on common maternal medical emergencies that lead to MCA. Participants were assessed for knowledge, confidence, and skills (eg, megacode scores as team leaders during MCA simulations). Intervention participants were compared with control group participants who received no OBLS education., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was cognitive scores. Secondary outcomes included megacode scores rated by experienced OBLS instructors masked to assignment groups, combined assessment pass rates, and cognitive and confidence scores at baseline and 6 and 12 months after education. Data were analyzed from January 2024 to May 2024., Results: Forty-six participants (mean [SD] age, 41.1 [16.2] years; 24 [52%] women) were randomized. Despite most participants holding certification in basic and advanced cardiac life support, significant between-group differences were identified in knowledge, skills, and confidence. Mean (SD) cognitive scores were 79.5% (9.4%) in the intervention group vs 63.4% (12.3%) in the control group (P < .001). Mean (SD) megacode skills were higher in the intervention vs control group (91.0% [5.0%] vs 61.0% [12.0%], P < .001), as were confidence scores (72.7 [13.3] vs 56.2 [17.9] points, P = .002). Combined assessment pass rates were 90% in the intervention group compared with 10% in the control group (P < .001)., Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, OBLS education significantly improved health care professionals' knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing MCA. These findings underscore the urgent need for implementation of a standardized MCA curriculum nationwide, especially as the US continues to face unacceptably high maternal mortality rates., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05355519.

This investigation aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of NeoLight's Skylife phototherapy device for the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia. A prospective, two-arm, randomized, unblinded controlled investigation compared total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels at baseline and discharge for a new phototherapy device (Skylife) with an existing phototherapy treatment in newborn infants. The repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) indicated a significant main effect for the treatment condition, F (1, 54) = 4.041, P = .049. Post hoc findings showed that the Skylife group had significantly lower TSB levels following treatment (n = 28, Mean = 11.36, SD = 1.69) compared with the standard of care group (n = 28, Mean = 12.37, SD = 2.08), t (54) = 2.01, P = .049). The Skylife phototherapy device was as effective as the currently used therapy, with a shift toward a more rapid decline in bilirubin levels. Using this device may potentially decrease the length of therapy and hospitalization. Clinical Trial Registration Comparison of Phototherapy Using Neolight Skylife Versus Standardized Phototherapy for Hyperbilirubinemia in Newborns is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03599258., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Dr Gosselin, Dr Roth, and Ms Hoffman declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Dr Abrams received compensation from HonorHealth for the conduct of the study.

Objective: To assess the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy of health care participants completing a simulation-based blended learning training curriculum on managing maternal medical emergencies and maternal cardiac arrest (Obstetric Life Support)., Methods: A formative assessment of the Obstetric Life Support curriculum was performed with a prehospital cohort comprising emergency medical services professionals and a hospital-based cohort comprising health care professionals who work primarily in hospital or urgent care settings and respond to maternal medical emergencies. The training consisted of self-guided precourse work and an instructor-led simulation course using a customized low-fidelity simulator. Baseline and postcourse assessments included multiple-choice cognitive test, self-efficacy questionnaire, and graded Megacode assessment of the team leader. Megacode scores and pass rates were analyzed descriptively. Pre- and post-self-confidence assessments were compared with an exact binomial test, and cognitive scores were compared with generalized linear mixed models., Results: The training was offered to 88 participants between December 2019 and November 2021. Eighty-five participants consented to participation; 77 participants completed the training over eight sessions. At baseline, fewer than half of participants were able to achieve a passing score on the cognitive assessment as determined by the expert panel. After the course, mean cognitive assessment scores improved by 13 points, from 69.4% at baseline to 82.4% after the course (95% CI 10.9-15.1, P <.001). Megacode scores averaged 90.7±6.4%. The Megacode pass rate was 96.1%. There were significant improvements in participant self-efficacy, and the majority of participants (92.6%) agreed or strongly agreed that the course met its educational objectives., Conclusion: After completing a simulation-based blended learning program focused on managing maternal cardiac arrest using a customized low-fidelity simulator, most participants achieved a defensible passing Megacode score and significantly improved their knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy., (Copyright © 2023 Written work prepared by employees of the Federal Government as part of their official duties is, under the U.S. Copyright Act, a “work of the United States Government” for which copyright protection under Title 17 of the United States Code is not available. As such, copyright does not extend to the contributions of employees of the Federal Government.)

Proactive management of SARS-CoV-2 requires timely and complete population data to track the evolution of the virus and identify at risk populations. However, many cases are asymptomatic and are not easily discovered through traditional testing efforts. Sentinel surveillance can be used to estimate the prevalence of infections for geographical areas but requires identification of sentinels who are representative of the larger population. Our goal is to evaluate applicability of a population of labor and delivery patients for sentinel surveillance system for monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We tested 5307 labor and delivery patients from two hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona, finding 195 SARS-CoV-2 positive. Most positive cases were associated with people who were asymptomatic (79.44%), similar to statewide rates. Our results add to the growing body of evidence that SARS-CoV-2 disproportionately impacts people of color, with Black people having the highest positive rates (5.92%). People with private medical insurance had the lowest positive rates (2.53%), while Medicaid patients had a positive rate of 5.54% and people without insurance had the highest positive rates (6.12%). With diverse people reporting for care and being tested regardless of symptoms, labor and delivery patients may serve as ideal sentinels for asymptomatic detection of SARS-CoV-2 and monitoring impacts across a wide range of social and economic classes. A more robust system for infectious disease management requires the expanded participation of additional hospitals so that the sentinels are more representative of the population at large, reflecting geographic and neighborhood level patterns of infection and risk., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Objective: To solicit advice from members of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) on what to include in an update of nurse staffing standards., Design: Online, single-question survey with thematic analysis of responses., Setting: Electronic survey link sent via e-mail., Participants: AWHONN members who shared their e-mail with the association and who responded to the survey (n = 1,813)., Measures: Participants were asked to answer this single question: "The AWHONN (2010) Guidelines for Professional Registered Nurse Staffing for Perinatal Units are being updated. During their initial development, feedback from nearly 900 AWHONN members was extremely helpful in providing specific details for the nurse staffing guidelines. We'd really like to hear from you again. Please give the writing team your input. What should AWHONN consider when updating the AWHONN nurse staffing guidelines?", Results: The e-mail was successfully delivered to 20,463 members; 8,050 opened the e-mail, and 3,050 opened the link to the survey. There were 1,892 responses. After removing duplicate and blank responses, 1,813 responses were available for analysis. They represented all hospital practice settings for maternity and newborn care and included nurses from small-volume and rural hospitals. Primary concerns of respondents centered on two aspects of patient acuity-the increasing complexity of clinical cases and the need to link nurse staffing standards to patient acuity. Other themes included maintaining current nurse-to-patient ratios, needing help with implementation in the context of economic challenges, and changing wording from "guidelines" to "standards" to promote widespread adoption., Conclusion: In a single-question survey, AWHONN members offered rich, detailed recommendations that were used in the updating of the AWHONN nurse staffing standards., (Copyright © 2021 AWHONN. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare the rapid bedside test for placental α microglobulin-1 with the instrumented fetal fibronectin test for prediction of imminent spontaneous preterm delivery among women with symptoms of preterm labor., Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study on pregnant women with signs or symptoms suggestive of preterm labor between 24 and 35 weeks of gestation with intact membranes and cervical dilatation less than 3 cm. Participants were prospectively enrolled at 15 U.S. academic and community centers. Placental α microglobulin-1 samples did not require a speculum examination. Health care providers were blinded to placental α microglobulin-1 results. Fetal fibronectin samples were collected through speculum examination per manufacturer requirements and sent to a certified laboratory for testing using a cutoff of 50 ng/mL. The coprimary endpoints were positive predictive value (PPV) superiority and negative predictive value (NPV) noninferiority of placental α microglobulin-1 compared with fetal fibronectin for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth within 7 days and within 14 days., Results: Of 796 women included in the study cohort, 711 (89.3%) had both placental α microglobulin-1 and fetal fibronectin results and valid delivery outcomes available for analysis. The overall rate of preterm birth was 2.4% (17/711) within 7 days of testing and 4.2% (30/711) within 14 days of testing with respective rates of spontaneous preterm birth of 1.3% (9/703) and 2.9% (20/701). Fetal fibronectin was detected in 15.5% (110/711), and placental α microglobulin-1 was detected in 2.4% (17/711). The PPVs for spontaneous preterm delivery within 7 days or less among singleton gestations (n=13) for placental α microglobulin-1 and fetal fibronectin were 23.1% (3/13) and 4.3% (4/94), respectively (P<.025 for superiority). The NPVs were 99.5% (619/622) and 99.6% (539/541) for placental α microglobulin-1 and fetal fibronectin, respectively (P<.001 for noninferiority)., Conclusion: Although placental α microglobulin-1 performed the same as fetal fibronectin in ruling out spontaneous preterm delivery among symptomatic women, it demonstrated statistical superiority in predicting it.

von Willebrand disease is the most prevalent inherited bleeding disorder, affecting up to 1.3% of the population. It is caused by a defect or deficiency of the von Willebrand factor. Women with the condition may not be aware of their condition at the time of childbirth, but they are at high risk of postpartum hemorrhage even days after birth. In this article we briefly review the condition and specific considerations for the antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum phases. It is important for nurses who care for women during childbirth to have a keen understanding of this condition., (© 2016 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.)

Thalassemia syndromes are becoming more common in the United States as the population becomes more diverse. To provide appropriate care to this patient population, nurses must know that thalassemia syndromes are classified into two main types, α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia. α-Thalassemia is further delineated into four clinical patterns: silent carrier state, mild α-thalassemia, hemoglobin H disease, and hydrops fetalis. Understanding each of these complex anemias and their potential effects on a pregnant woman and her fetus will enable nurses to interpret these women's unique laboratory test results. Intervention when necessary with appropriate treatment may lead to optimal outcomes for women and newborns., (© 2016 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.)

With the legalization of both medical and recreational use of marijuana in some U.S. states, nurses and other clinicians should be prepared to care for pregnant women who have used marijuana during pregnancy. This column describes the prevalence of cannabis use among women, the effect cannabis has on the body and the potential maternal, fetal and neonatal effects of marijuana use during pregnancy., (© 2015 AWHONN.)

Millions of people take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for depression and anxiety, so nurses and other clinicians need to be aware of the potential for serotonin toxicity and serotonin syndrome. These conditions can occur when women taking SSRIs are given additional medications in the labor and birth or postpartum settings. Symptoms can have an acute onset and can include delirium, fever and hypertension. Understanding the mechanism and symptoms of serotonin syndrome can lead to timely treatment of this unusual condition., (© 2015 AWHONN.)

Objective: To study the effectiveness of an obstetrics-based advanced cardiac life support education (ACLS OB) program with pre- and postcourse maternal mock code drills and surveys evaluating satisfaction and self-confidence in abilities of labor and delivery (L&D) nurses to perform ACLS algorithms., Design: Quasi-experimental pretest/posttest study., Setting: Obstetric units in a community hospital system., Participants: Labor and delivery nurses (N = 96)., Methods: Nurses rotated through an ACLS OB course when their ACLS recertification was due. Two studies were done. Prior to the class, nurses participated in a maternal mock code drill during annual skills review, and performances were scored. One year later, nurses participated in maternal mock code drills. Results were compared with the previous year's scores. In the second study, pre- and postclass surveys were completed reflecting nurses' satisfaction and self-confidence with successfully completing elements of American Heart Association (AHA) algorithms following attendance at traditional ACLS classes versus ACLS OB., Results: The scores of nurses who completed the ACLS OB course were significantly greater overall when performing ACLS MegaCode algorithms (z = -6.08, p < .001) for 18 of 21 individual elements of the algorithm. Nurses reported statistically significant increases (p < .001) in all 13 elements of satisfaction and self-confidence following completion of ACLS OB over traditional ACLS courses., Conclusions: Emphasizing changes in ACLS for obstetric patients during the precourse and using patient scenarios encountered in obstetric settings improved nurses' performance in maternal MegaCode scenarios. The course also increased self-satisfaction and self-confidence of obstetric nurses in their ability to perform ACLS algorithms., (© 2015 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.)

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease and is the most common disorder of neuromuscular transmission. MG is caused by a defect in the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles in which communication from nerves to muscles is interrupted at the neuromuscular junction. This interruption can cause significant impact to muscle functions, which can have serious consequences for a pregnant woman, especially during labor. This brief article, which is meant to be used as an easy-reference tool in the clinical setting, examines the disease process and its effect on the antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum periods., (© 2015 AWHONN.)

The diagnosis of Chiari malformation is on the rise owing to the increased frequency of brain imaging for concussion and trauma. This abnormal brain physiology can have a significant impact on the care management of a pregnant woman during the gestational period. Here we present a case example of a pregnant woman presenting in labor with a history of Chiari malformation with surgical treatment during her pregnancy. Antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum considerations are reviewed. This brief article is meant to be used as an easy-reference tool in the clinical setting., (© 2015 AWHONN.)

There is potential for important steps to be missed in emergency situations, even in the presence of many health care team members. Developing a clear plan of response for common emergencies can ensure that no tasks are redundant or omitted, and can create a more controlled environment that promotes positive health outcomes. A multidisciplinary team was assembled in a large community hospital to create protocols that would help ensure optimum care and continuity of practice in cases of postpartum hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, emergency cesarean surgical birth, eclamptic seizure and maternal code. Assignment of team roles and responsibilities led to the evolution of standardized protocols for each emergency situation., (© 2014 AWHONN.)

Advances in technology and complex care have enabled women with various health problems to become and remain pregnant. Consequently, health-care practitioners are seeing an increasing number of pregnant women who have aortic aneurysms. This case study describes the culturally sensitive intrapartum care of a Middle Eastern woman with ascending and descending aortic aneurysms.