Elective cesarean delivery and long-term cardiovascular morbidity in the offspring – a population-based cohort analysis

168: Does elective cesarean delivery affect long-term cardiovascular morbidity of the offspring?

Objective: We opted to investigate whether fetal growth restriction (FGR) in dichorionic-diamniotic twins is a risk factor for long-term cardiovascular morbidity in offspring. Study design: A population-based retrospective cohort study, comparing long-term cardiovascular morbidity among FGR and non-FGR twins, born between the years 1991 and 2021 in a tertiary medical center. Study groups were followed until 18 years of age (6570 days) for cardiovascular-related morbidity. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve compared the cumulative cardiovascular morbidity. A Cox proportional hazard model assisted with adjusting for confounders. Results: In this study, 4222 dichorionic-diamniotic twins were included; 116 were complicated with FGR and demonstrated a significantly higher rate of long-term cardiovascular morbidity (4.4% vs. 1.3%, OR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.35-8.78, p = 0.006). The cumulative incidence of long-term cardiovascular morbidity was significantly higher among FGR twins (Kaplan-Meier Log rank test p = 0.007). A Cox proportional-hazard model found an independent association between FGR and long-term cardiovascular morbidity, when adjusted for both birth order and gender (adjusted HR 3.3, 95% CI 1.31-8.19, p = 0.011). Conclusions: FGR in dichorionic-diamniotic twins is independently associated with an increased risk for long-term cardiovascular morbidity in offspring. Therefore, increased surveillance may be beneficial.

Perinatal outcomes and long-term offspring cardiovascular morbidity of women with congenital heart disease

602: Is there an association between family history of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular morbidity of offspring?

Maternal morbidity is associated with cesarean deliveries. However, new evidence suggests that short- and long-term neonatal morbidity is also associated. This includes respiratory morbidity with conflicting results. To determine whether mode of delivery has an impact on the long-term risk for respiratory morbidity in the offspring, a population-based cohort analysis was conducted including all singleton term deliveries occurring between 1991 and 2014 at a single tertiary medical center. A comparison was performed between children delivered via elective cesarean delivery (CD) and those delivered vaginally. Multiple gestations and fetuses with congenital malformations were excluded from the analysis as were all cases of urgent CDs. Pediatric hospitalizations involving respiratory morbidity of offspring up to the age of 18years were evaluated. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to compare cumulative respiratory morbidity incidence and a Cox regression model to control for confounders. During the study period, 132,054 term deliveries met the inclusion criteria; 8.9% were via elective CDs (n= 11,746) and 91.1% (n= 120,308) were vaginal deliveries. Hospitalizations of the offspring involving respiratory morbidity were significantly more common in offspring delivered by CDs (5.2 vs. 4.3% in vaginal deliveries, p< 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier survival curve demonstrated a significantly higher cumulative incidence of respiratory morbidity in the elective CD group (log rank p <0.001). In a Cox proportional hazards model, while controlling for maternal age, gestational age, and birthweight, CD exhibited a significant and independent association with long-term respiratory morbidity of the offspring (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.22 (CI, 1.12-1.33), p< 0.001).Conclusion: Elective cesarean delivery at term is a significant risk factor for long-term pediatric respiratory morbidity of the offspring. What is Known: • Cesarean delivery is a major surgery with known possible complications. • Cesarean delivery has possible immediate complications for the newborn including respiratory complications. What is New: • Our study shows more long term respiratory morbidity in the CD group including asthma and obstructive sleep apnea. • Different possible explanations have been proposed including exposure to maternal flora during vaginal delivery and the stress hormones secreted during contractions and delivery.

546: Singletons delivered by elective cesarean delivery at term have an increased risk of long-term endocrine morbidity

Amniotic fluid (AF) abnormalities are often associated with short-term adverse pregnancy outcomes, including cardiovascular-related. We sought to assess whether in utero exposure to AF abnormalities increases the risk for long-term cardiovascular morbidity of the offspring. We examined the incidence of cardiovascular disorders in singletons exposed and non-exposed to isolated oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios. Cardiovascular morbidity was assessed up to the age of 18 years according to a predefined set of ICD-9 codes. A Kaplan–Meier survival curves were used to compare cumulative morbidity incidence. A Cox proportional hazards model was constructed to control for confounders. During the study period, 195,943 newborns met the inclusion criteria, of which 2.0% (n = 4063) were in pregnancies diagnosed with isolated oligohydramnios and 2.9% (n = 5684) in pregnancies with isolated polyhydramnios. Children exposed to isolated AF disorders had significantly higher rates of long-term cardiovascular morbidity (p=.042). Children exposed to isolated oligohydramnios had higher cumulative incidence of cardiovascular morbidity (log-rank test p=.026) compared to unexposed children, opposing to what was demonstrate when comparing polyhydramnios vs. normal AFV (log-rank test p=.749). In the Cox regression model, while controlling for confounders, isolated oligohydramnios were found to be independently associated with long-term cardiovascular morbidity of the offspring.

The Association between Sex and Long-Term Pediatric Cardiovascular Morbidity

824: Maternal congenital heart defects and long-term cardiovascular morbidity of the offspring

There is no established consensus on the safest or most beneficial delivery mode for preterm twins. We assessed the associations between how premature twins were delivered and their long-term cardiovascular morbidity during childhood. A retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Soroka University Medical Center, the only tertiary hospital in southern Israel, which provides obstetric services to the whole country. Twins born between 1991 and 2021 were included, and their cardiovascular morbidity was followed up until 18 years of age. Data was collected from the hospital's databases. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve compared cumulative cardiovascular morbidity between the groups, and a Cox proportional hazard model adjusted the data for confounders. The study comprised 6856 premature twins: 3986 (58.1%) were born via Caesarean delivery and the other 2870 (41.9%) were born by vaginal delivery. Long-term cardiovascular morbidity rates were comparable between twins born vaginally and via Cesarean delivery. Likewise, the cumulative incidence of long-term cardiovascular morbidity did not differ. The Cox proportional hazard model, which controlled for maternal age, diabetes mellitus and hypertensive disorders, showed no associations with the two delivery groups. No associations were documented between delivery mode in preterm twins and childhood cardiovascular morbidity.

Background Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) results in an increased risk for maternal and neonatal complications in singletons. In twin pregnancies, however, scarce data exist regarding its implications. Objective To investigate whether a diagnosis of GDM in twin gestation poses a risk for subsequent maternal long-term cardiovascular morbidity. Study design A population-based cohort study was conducted, comparing the incidence of cardiovascular morbidity within a group of women with and without a diagnosis of GDM who delivered twins in a tertiary medical center, between the years 1991 and 2014. Mothers with pregestational diabetes mellitus, triplet or higher-order multiples, patients lacking prenatal care, patients with known cardiovascular morbidities prior to or during the current pregnancy and fetal malformations or/and chromosomal abnormalities were excluded. Kaplan–Meier’s survival curve was used to estimate the cumulative incidence of cardiovascular-related hospitalizations, and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the adjusted HRs for cardiovascular morbidity. Results Of 4256 twin deliveries that met the inclusion criteria, 336 (7.9%) occurred in patients that were diagnosed with GDM. During a follow-up period of more than 10 years, with a median of 3431 (0–9172) days in total, patients with GDM had higher rates of simple cardiovascular events as compared to women without diagnosis of GDM (incidence = 7, 2.1%. OR = 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17–6.12, p = .03). Total cardiovascular hospitalizations were comparable between the groups. There was no difference between the two groups in the rate of complex cardiovascular events, noninvasive or invasive cardiac diagnostic procedures. In a Cox proportional hazards model, which is adjusted for maternal age, ethnicity, hypertensive disorders, and fertility treatments, GDM in twin pregnancies was not found to be associated with long-term cardiovascular morbidity (adjusted HR 1.41, 95% CI 0.77–2.58, p = .26). Conclusions While GDM during twin pregnancy might be associated with long-term maternal simple cardiovascular events, the complex, as well as the total morbidities, are comparable to patients without GDM.

While placental abruption is often associated with short-term adverse pregnancy outcomes, we sought to assess whether placental abruption increases the risk for long-term cardiovascular morbidity of the offspring. To study the long-term cardiovascular hospitalizations of offspring of patients with and without placental abruption, cardiovascular morbidity was assessed up to the age of 18years according to a predefined set of ICD-9 codes associated with hospitalization of the offspring. Our data consist of deliveries which occurred between the years 1991 and 2014 in a tertiary medical center. Pregnancies following fertility treatments, multifetal pregnancies, and pregnancies with offspring with congenital anomalies, lack of prenatal care, and perinatal mortality were excluded from the study. We used Kaplan-Meier curve to compare cumulative morbidity incidence and Cox proportional hazards model to control for confounder. During the study period, we examined 217,910 deliveries, out of which 0.46% (n = 1003) were effected by placental abruption. Compared to normal birth children, children born to mothers with placental abruption did not show a significantly higher cumulative incidence of long-term cardiovascular morbidity (1.0% vs. 0.6%; p = 0.127). Placental abruption was not noted as an independent risk factor for long-term cardiovascular morbidity of offspring in the Cox regression analysis, which adjusted for confounders. Our study does not support the association between placental abruption and risk for long-term cardiovascular morbidity of the offspring.

Association between delivery of a small-for-gestational-age neonate and long-term maternal cardiovascular morbidity

Other than obesity, no definitive insights have been gained regarding the apparent association between mode of delivery and long-term endocrine and metabolic outcomes in the offspring. We aimed to determine whether elective cesarean delivery (CD) impacts on long-term endocrine and metabolic morbidity of the offspring. A population-based cohort analysis was performed including all singleton-term deliveries occurring between 1991 and 2014 at a single tertiary medical center. A comparison was performed between children delivered via a non-emergent CD and those delivered vaginally (VD). Hospitalizations of the offspring up to the age of 18 years involving endocrine morbidity were evaluated. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to compare cumulative morbidity incidence. Cox and a Weibull regression models were used to control for confounders. During the study period 131,880 term deliveries met the inclusion criteria; 8.9% were elective non-urgent CDs (n=11,768) and 91.1% (n=120,112) were VDs. The survival curve demonstrated a significantly higher cumulative incidence of endo-metabolic morbidity in offspring born via CD (P=0.010). In the regression models, adjusted for maternal obesity, CD was not noted as an independent risk factor for long-term pediatric endocrine and metabolic morbidity of the offspring while maternal obesity emerged as a strong predictor. We therefore conclude that CD per-se does not appear to increase the risk for long-term pediatric endo-metabolic morbidity of the offspring.

651: Maternal smoking during pregnancy and the risk of pediatric cardiovascular diseases of the offspring: A population-based cohort study with up to 18-years follow up