The effectiveness of community-based interventions to improve maternal and infant health in the Northeast of Brazil

EMOND, Alan et al. The effectiveness of community-based interventions to improve maternal and infant health in the Northeast of Brazil. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/ Pan American Journal of Public Health , v.12, n.2, p.101-110, 2002

Project Pró-Natal: population-based study of perinatal and infant mortality in Natal, Northeast Brazil

RAMOS, Ana Maria de Oliveira et al. Project Pró-Natal: population-based study of perinatal and infant mortality in Natal, Northeast Brazil. Pediatric and Developmental Pathology, v.3, n.1, p.29-35, 2000

The effectiveness of community-based interventions to improve maternal and infant health in the Northeast of Brazil

EMOND, Alan et al. The effectiveness of community-based interventions to improve maternal and infant health in the Northeast of Brazil. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/ Pan American Journal of Public Health , v.12, n.2, p.101-110, 2002

Project Pró-Natal: population-based study of perinatal and infant mortality in Natal, Northeast Brazil

RAMOS, Ana Maria de Oliveira et al. Project Pró-Natal: population-based study of perinatal and infant mortality in Natal, Northeast Brazil. Pediatric and Developmental Pathology, v.3, n.1, p.29-35, 2000

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Its relationship with perinatal bereavement: definitions, reactions, adjustments, and grief.

A small percentage of women present with diagnosed PTSD post childbirth; however, though this an area of increasing research and clinical interest generally, little is known about PTSD in relation to perinatal bereavement. Health professionals must however be aware of the mechanisms and models of loss following perinatal bereavement in order to identify potential mental health phenomena which may be implicated in the development of PTSD symptomology. Understanding the predictive factors which may give early warning signs is an important component of the clinical evidence base. This chapter discusses mechanisms, models, and risk factors in relation to perinatal bereavement and the development of PTSD.

Women's perceptions of Nurse-Midwives' caring behaviours during perinatal loss in Lilongwe, Malawi: An Exploratory study

Objective The Objective for this study was to explore women’s perceptions of and satisfaction with nursing care they received following stillbirth and neonatal death in villages around a community hospital in Lilongwe. Methods This qualitative, exploratory study through a mixture of purposive and snowball sampling, recruited 20 women who had lost a child through stillbirth or neonatal death in the past 2 years. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews in the privacy of the homes of the women. All interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Almost half of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the way nurses cared for them after experiencing perinatal loss, although some felt unable to comment on the quality of care received. However, several bereaved women were dissatisfied with how nurses handled their loss. They noted nurses not providing attention or explanations and some even attributed the death of their child to nurses’ neglect. Conclusions Interventions are needed which foster awareness where nurses become more sensitive to the mothers’ emotional needs in an equally sensitive health care system. There is also need for more research into care provided following perinatal deaths in resource-poor settings to increase the evidence-base for informed and improved care for women who have experienced child loss.

Perinatal complications associated with preterm deliveries at 24 to 33 weeks and 6 days gestation (2011- 2012): A hospital-based retrospective study

Background: Morbidity and mortality of preterm babies are important issues in perinatal medicine. In developed countries, preterm delivery is the cause of about 70% of mortality and 75% of morbidity in the neonatal period, respectively. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for preterm labor and the outcomes, in terms of perinatal mortality and morbidity at the time of discharge home, among preterm infants at less than 34 weeks gestation. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted and all infants with a gestational age of 24 to 33 weeks and 6 days who were born from November 1st , 2011 to March 31, 2012 were enrolled in this study. Results: From 1185 preterm infants were born during this period, 475 (40.08%) infants with less than 34 weeks gestational age were included in the study. Our study showed the major obstetrical risk factors for preterm labor were as follows: preeclampsia (21%), premature rupture of membranes (20.3%), abruption of placenta (10%), and idiopathic cases (48.7%). The neonatal mortality rate in less than 34 weeks was 9.05%. Significant perinatal morbidity causesd in less than 34 weeks were as follows: sepsis (46.94%), respiratory distress syndrome (41.47%), patent ductus arteriosus (21.47%), retinopathy of prematurity (3.57%), necrotizing entrocolitis (1.68%), intra-ventricular hemorrhage (9%), and broncho-pulmonary dysplasia (0.84%). Conclusion: Preterm birth is associated with adverse perinatal outcome. This situation needs to be improved by directing appropriately increased resources for improving prenatal health services and providing advanced neonatal care.

Asfixia perinatal y proteína S100B

La asfixia perinatal es la principal causa de muerte en la primera semana de vida la nivel mundial, los niños que sufren esta complicación y sobreviven pueden presentar trastornos neurológicos de diferente nivel de compromiso que inciden en su desarrollo personal y social. Las cifras de muerte por este problema de salud han disminuido de manera importante, sin embargo en el reporte de la Organización Mundial de Salud (OPS) del 2010, la asfixia perinatal es causa del 29% de muertes infantiles en los países de América Latina y el Caribe 2. Es necesario conocer además la extensión del daño neurológico que sufren estos niños, con este fin se desarrolló un estudio piloto en el Hospital Universitario Mayor Mederi de Bogotá, en el cual se determinó la concentración de un marcador metabólico de daño cerebral, la proteína S100B en suero de 60 recién nacidos sanos, con el objetivo de analizar la asociación del mismo con el peso al nacer, la edad gestacional y el diagnóstico. Los resultados no mostraron diferencias significativas entre este marcador y las variables analizadas que puede asociarse al pequeño número de pacientes, sin embargo han sentado las bases para el desarrollo de un estudio que incluya varios hospitales de Bogotá y sobre todo la determinación del mismo en recién nacidos con diagnóstico de hipoxia en el período perinatal, lo cual aportará información del grado de la alteración que puedan tener a nivel cerebral y contribuya al mejor manejo evolutivo con la aplicación de medidas de intervención en estadios tempranos de la vida.