Abstract
Background and Objectives: Risk factors for neonatal/maternal morbidity and mortality in placental abruption have been incompletely studied in the current literature. Most of the research overlooked the African American population as mostly Caucasian populations are selected. We aimed to find which risk factor influence the neonatal and maternal outcome in cases of placental abruption occurring in African American pregnant women in an inner-city urban setting. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, NJ United States of America (USA), between 1986 and 1996. Inclusion criteria were African American race, singleton pregnancy with gestational age over 20 weeks and placental abruption. Maternal age, gravidity, parity, gestational age at delivery/occurrence of placental abruption and mode of delivery were collected. Risk factors for placental abruption such as placenta previa, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, cigarette smoking, crack/cocaine and alcohol use, mechanical trauma, preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), and premature rupture of membranes (PROM) were recorded. Poor neonatal outcome was considered when anyone of the following occurred: 1st and 5th minute Apgar score lower than 7, intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD), perinatal death, and neonatal arterial umbilical cord pH less than 7.15. Poor maternal outcome was considered if any of the following presented at delivery: hemorrhagic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), hysterectomy, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), maternal intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and maternal death. Results: A population of 271 singleton African American pregnant women was included in the study. Lower gestational age at delivery and cesarean section were statistically significantly correlated with poor neonatal outcomes (p = 0.018; p < 0.001; p = 0.015) in the univariate analysis; only lower gestational age at delivery remained significant in the multivariate analysis (p = < 0.001). Crack/cocaine use was statistically significantly associated with poor maternal outcome (p = 0.033) in the univariate analysis, while in the multivariate analysis, hemolysis, elevated enzymes, low platelet (HELLP) syndrome, crack/cocaine use and previous cesarean section resulted significantly associated with poor maternal outcome (p = 0.029, p = 0.017, p = 0.015, p = 0.047). PROM was associated with better neonatal outcome in the univariate analysis, and preeclampsia was associated with a better maternal outcome in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Lower gestational age at delivery is the most important risk factor for poor neonatal outcome in African American women with placental abruption. Poor maternal outcome correlated with HELLP syndrome, crack/cocaine use and previous cesarean section. More research in this understudied population is needed to establish reliable risk factors and coordinate preventive interventions.
Highlights
Placental abruption is the premature separation of the placenta before birth, after 20 weeks of gestation [1]
Chronic hypertension is a pertinent risk factor for abruption—it is associated with a fivefold increase in risk, which rises to eightfold with superimposed preeclampsia [14]
We evaluated the correlation between various risk factors of placental abruption and neonatal/maternal morbidity and mortality in African American women in an inner-city urban setting
Summary
Placental abruption is the premature separation of the placenta before birth, after 20 weeks of gestation [1]. Placental abruption is a leading cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality [4,5]. Placental abruption causing fetal death occurs in approximately 1 of every 420 deliveries [1]; the majority of pregnancies complicated by abruption result in infants weighing less than 10th percentile for gestational age [6,7,8]. The most important risk factor for placental abruption is an abruption in a prior pregnancy [10,11,12,13]. Risk factors for neonatal/maternal morbidity and mortality in placental abruption have been incompletely studied in the current literature. We aimed to find which risk factor influence the neonatal and maternal outcome in cases of placental abruption occurring in African American pregnant women in an inner-city urban setting.
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