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Fetal growth restriction (FGR) increases cardiovascular risk by cardiac remodeling and programming. This systematic review and meta-analysis across species examines the use of echocardiography in FGR offspring at different ages. PubMed and Embase.com were searched for animal and human studies reporting on echocardiographic parameters in placental insufficiency-induced FGR offspring. We included six animal and 49 human studies. Although unable to perform a meta-analysis of animal studies because of insufficient number of studies per individual outcome, all studies showed left ventricular dysfunction. Our meta-analyses of human studies revealed a reduced left ventricular mass, interventricular septum thickness, mitral annular peak velocity, and mitral lateral early diastolic velocity at neonatal age. No echocardiographic differences during childhood were observed, although the small age range and number of studies limited these analyses. Only two studies at adult age were performed. Meta-regression on other influential factors was not possible due to underreporting. The few studies on myocardial strain analysis showed small changes in global longitudinal strain in FGR offspring. The quality of the human studies was considered low and the risk of bias in animal studies was mostly unclear. Echocardiography may offer a noninvasive tool to detect early signs of cardiovascular predisposition following FGR. Clinical implementation yet faces multiple challenges including identification of the most optimal timing and the exact relation to long-term cardiovascular function in which echocardiography alone might be limited to reflect a child's vascular status. Future research should focus on myocardial strain analysis and the combination of other (non)imaging techniques for an improved risk estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In early‐onset fetal growth restriction the fetus fails to thrive in utero due to unmet fetal metabolic demands. This condition is linked to perinatal mortality and severe neonatal morbidity. Maternal administration of corticosteroids in high‐risk pregnancies for preterm birth at a gestational age between 24 and 34 weeks has been shown to reduce perinatal mortality and morbidity. Practice variation exists in the timing of the administration of corticosteroids based on umbilical artery monitoring findings in early‐onset fetal growth restriction. The aim of this study was to examine differences in neonatal outcomes when comparing different corticosteroid timing strategies. Material and methods: This was a post‐hoc analysis of the Dutch STRIDER trial. We examined neonatal outcomes when comparing institutional strategies of early (umbilical artery pulsatility index >95th centile) and late (umbilical artery shows absent or reversed end‐diastolic flow) administration of corticosteroids. The primary outcomes were neonatal mortality and a composite of neonatal mortality and neonatal morbidity, defined as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis or retinopathy of prematurity. We also analyzed predictors for adverse neonatal outcomes, including gestational age at delivery, birthweight, maternal hypertensive disorders, and time interval between corticosteroids and birth. Results: A total of 120 patients matched our inclusion criteria. In 69 (57.5%) the early strategy was applied and in 51 (42.5%) patients the late strategy. Median gestational age at delivery was 28 4/7 (± 3, 3/7) weeks. Median birthweight was 708 (± 304) g. Composite primary outcome was found in 57 (47.5%) neonates. No significant differences were observed in the primary outcome between the two strategies (neonatal mortality adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.22, 95% CI 0.44–3.38; composite primary outcome adjusted OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.42–2.64). Only gestational age at delivery was a significant predictor for improved neonatal outcome (adjusted OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.86–0.96). Conclusions: No significant differences in neonatal outcomes were observed when comparing early and late strategy of antenatal corticosteroid administration on neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by early‐onset fetal growth restriction. We found no apparent risk contribution of interval between corticosteroid administration and delivery in multivariate analysis. Gestational age at delivery was found to be an important predictor of neonatal outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a letter to the editor published in the journal Lupus. The letter discusses the importance of screening for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in women who have experienced early-onset fetal growth restriction (FGR) during pregnancy. The study found that APS screening is often not discussed during follow-up visits, despite the potential benefits of treatment. The authors suggest that implementing standardized protocols for APS diagnostics postpartum could improve screening rates and subsequent pregnancy outcomes. The study also calculated the incidence of APS among those screened and found it to be 7.4%. [Extracted from the article]

Background: To enhance patient-tailored preconception risk assessment for women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), knowledge on risk factors associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes is required. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and provide unambiguous effect sizes of preconception predictors of pregnancy outcomes in women with SLE., Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed and Embase for studies reporting preconception predictors of pregnancy outcomes in women with SLE, from database inception to Aug 22, 2023. Studies were included if they presented original, quantitative data on pregnant women with SLE and reported on preconception risk factors on at least one of the outcomes as defined in the protocol. Studies were excluded if they had a sample size of less than 20 patients, were restricted to multiple pregnancies, had unclear timing of prognostication, or exclusively reported a composite outcome. Literature screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment (quality in prognostic studies tool) were done by two reviewers independently, in a blinded, standardised manner. The reported outcomes included livebirth, pre-eclampsia, small for gestational age, preterm birth, pregnancy loss before and after 20 weeks of gestation, and SLE flares. We computed pooled univariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs using a random effects model. We assessed heterogeneity using the I 2 statistic and prediction intervals. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022344732., Findings: Of the 6705 unique articles identified, 72 (1·1%) were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 10 355 pregnancies in 8065 women with SLE. One potentially eligible study was retracted and therefore removed from our analysis. Previous lupus nephritis was associated with decreased livebirth probability (OR 0·62 [95% CI 0·47-0·81]; I 2 =0%), increased risk of preterm birth (2·00 [1·55-2·57]; I 2 =17%), and increased risk of pre-eclampsia (3·11 [2·35-4·12]; I 2 =0%). Chronic hypertension was associated with increased risk of disease flare (2·50 [1·74-3·58]; I 2 =0%), preterm birth (2·65 [1·87-3·77]; I 2 =0%), and pre-eclampsia (5·86 [3·41-10·06]; I 2 =33%). SLE disease activity at conception or preconception was associated with increased risk of preterm birth (2·91 [1·96-4·33]; I 2 =21%) and pre-eclampsia (2·32 [1·40-3·83]; I 2 =0%). Secondary antiphospholipid syndrome was associated with decreased livebirth probability (0·40 [0·27-0·58]; I 2 =0%), increased risk of pregnancy loss after 20 weeks of gestation (2·77 [1·44-5·31]; I 2 =0%), and increased risk of preterm birth (1·65 [1·29-2·11]; I 2 =0%). Across studies, risk-of-bias assessment suggested considerable bias in study attrition and confounding., Interpretation: We identified previous lupus nephritis, chronic hypertension, SLE disease activity before and at conception, and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome as predictors of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with SLE. These findings contribute to an optimal patient-tailored risk assessment in preconception counselling., Funding: None., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Diagnosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) requires prompt treatment with anticoagulants in therapeutic doses. Since these drugs are associated with the occurrence of haemorrhage, identification of patients at increased risk of major bleeding is of utmost clinical importance for defining the optimal treatment regimen and duration of anticoagulation. Current suggested prediction scores for bleeding risk in VTE patients have been derived from observational studies of moderate quality, or from patients with various indications for therapeutic anticoagulation other than VTE. To date, none of the scores have been adequately validated in cohorts that underwent dedicated monitoring and independent adjudication of bleeding complications. In addition, while the scarce available evidence has focused on patients treated with heparins and/or vitamin K antagonists, risk stratification scores for bleeding complications in VTE patients treated with non-vitamin K dependent anticoagulants have not yet been developed. This clinically oriented review covers the incidence and risk factors of anticoagulation-related bleeding in VTE patients treated with different anticoagulant drugs as well as the available bleeding-prediction scores. Further, we attempt to provide guidance for bleeding-prevention in clinical practice and speculate on developments in the near future that may fundamentally change our current thinking on VTE management., (Copyright ©ERS 2015.)

Our aim was to study the safety of outpatient treatment in low risk patients with acute pulmonary embolism compared with inpatient treatment, the current clinical standard. We searched Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane and EMBASE databases and included studies on outpatient treatment of pulmonary embolism. The outcomes were 3-month recurrent venous thromboembolism, major bleeding and all-cause mortality. We identified 13 studies (1657 patients) with outpatients (discharge <24 h), three studies (256 patients) with early discharge patients (discharged within 72 h) and five studies (383 patients) with inpatients. The pooled incidence of recurrent venous thromboembolism was 1.7% (95% CI 0.92-3.1%) in outpatients, 1.1% (0.22-5.4%) in patients discharged early and 1.2% (0.16-8.1%) in inpatients. The pooled incidence of major bleeding was 0.97% (0.58-1.6%) in outpatients, 0.78% (0.16-3.7%) in early discharge patients and 1.0% (0.39-2.8%) in inpatients. The pooled incidence of mortality was 1.9% (0.79-4.6%) in outpatients, 2.3% (1.1-5.1%) in early discharge patients and 0.74% (0.04-11%) in inpatients. Incidences of recurrent venous thromboembolism, major bleeding and, after correction for malignancies, mortality were comparable between outpatients, patients discharged early and inpatients. We conclude that home treatment or early discharge of selected low-risk patients with pulmonary embolism is as safe as inpatient treatment.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is defined as an increase in serum creatinine following intravascular administration of iodinated contrast media. Patients with pre-existing kidney disease therefore receive intravenous periprocedural hydration, as recommended by guidelines. The costs for preventive hydration are high, EUR 56.6 million annually in the Netherlands alone. However, evidence on the efficacy of this preventive measure is scarce. There are only two randomized placebo-controlled trials on the efficacy of hydration. Hard evidence proving a causal relationship between CIN and morbidity or mortality is lacking, although some associations have been found. In the vast majority of CIN patients, renal function recovers within weeks or months. Research is needed to study whether patients with mild chronic kidney disease truly benefit from preventive hydration.