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Biomedical subjects

C A Klufio

Publications and source records attributed to C A Klufio.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

A comparison of unbooked mothers delivering at Port Moresby General Hospital with mothers seen antenatally: socioeconomic and reproductive characteristics.

It is well known that antenatal care improves perinatal and maternal outcomes. This is especially true for deprived communities and for the developing world, where women commonly have risk factors. At the Port Moresby General Hospital mothers who did not attend an antenatal clinic in the index pregnancy (unbooked mothers) form about 6% of all mothers delivered. These unbooked mothers have a perinatal death rate which is four times that of those who attended antenatal clinics before their delivery. A case-control survey was conducted of 136 unbooked mothers delivered at the Port Moresby General Hospital and 136 parity-matched control mothers who had been seen antenatally at least three times during their pregnancy. The purpose of the study was to find out if the cases and controls differed in their socioeconomic characteristics and in some selected aspects of their reproductive history. There was no significant difference between the groups in the following: marital status, and distance between present residence and nearest antenatal clinic. The groups were very significantly different in the following characteristics: age less than 20 years, social class, husband's education, and previous antenatal attendance in the penultimate pregnancy. The difference in patient's education was only just significant.

Adult↗

Hepatitis B surface and e antigen seropositivity in mothers and cord blood at Port Moresby General Hospital: implications for a control program.

Analysis of 100 unselected paired maternal and cord blood samples showed 11 mothers to be HBsAg positive and 6 of these to be also HBeAg positive. 5 cord blood samples were HBsAg positive and 3 were HBeAg positive. Assuming a protective efficacy rate of 75%, the present plasma-derived hepatitis B virus vaccine control program is likely to prevent the perinatal acquisition of the hepatitis B virus carrier state in 27 per 1000 children. The addition of immunoglobulin prophylaxis would be likely to reduce this by another 5 per 1000, but its use does not appear practicable at the present time.

Adult↗

Breech presentation and delivery.

What constitutes proper management for the singleton baby who presents by the breech at term has remained one of the most contentious subjects in obstetric practice. Perinatal morbidity and mortality are much higher in breech than in cephalic presentation. Elective caesarean section has been increasingly used in an attempt to improve the perinatal outcome. But caesarean section has immediate and late maternal complications. Some of these complications can be catastrophic. External cephalic version (ECV) at term, under tocolysis if necessary, will reduce the incidence of vaginal breech delivery and the incidence of caesarean section. Where ECV fails, the use of a selective management protocol will allow trial of breech labour in suitable cases, thus further reducing the incidence of elective section. Symphysiotomy may save the life of the baby whose head is trapped by disproportion.

Breech Presentation↗

Genital infections with Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Ghanaian women.

Women who attended the gynaecology clinic or were admitted to the postpartum ward of Korle Bu Hospital, Accra, Ghana were tested for infection with Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Eight (4.9%) of 162 gynaecological patients were infected with C trachomatis and five (3.1%) with N gonorrhoeae, and respective prevalences among 148 postpartum women were 7.7% (3/39) and 3.4% (5/148). Among 40 gynaecological patients who were not pregnant and whose principal complaint was of lower abdominal pain, 4 (10%) were infected with C trachomatis and none with N gonorrhoeae. Antibodies against serovars D, E, F, and G were common, and three typable isolates were serovar G. C trachomatis would appear to be more common than N gonorrhoeae in obstetric and gynaecological patients in Ghana.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

Tubal pregnancy: a review of 404 cases.

In the two years - 1st January, 1973 to 31st December, 1974 - 533 patients had operation for tubal pregnancy at the Gynaecology Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. About five cases per week were seen during this period. The incidence was 44 for every thousand deliveries at the Hospital. The case notes of 404 of the 533 patients have been reviewed. The age range was 15 to 44 years; 78% were in the 21 to 35 years age group. 81.4% had had pregnancies which went beyond 28 weeks. Only 13.7% had never had an intrauterine pregnancy. Tubal pregnancy is therefore not a disease of the primarily infertile as is commonly thought. There was no significant difference between the incidence on the right side and the incidence on the left side. The ampulla was the commonest site of implantation in the tube (45%). Tubal rupture (89.6%) was commoner than tubal abortion (10.4%). The principal signs and symptoms were abdominal pain, amenorrhoea, abdominal tenderness, abdominal distension, and signs of free fluid in the abdomen, syncope, anomalous vaginal bleeding, pallor and vomiting. The absence of amenorrhoea does not rule out the possibility of an ectopic. On pelvic examination the major signs were tenderness in a fornix and cervical excitation pain. Abdominal paracentesis and culdocentesis if positive are useful in diagnosis; negative results prove nothing. Laparascopy is of great value and should be employed in the difficult case. Beware of the patient in the reproductive age with anomalous vaginal bleeding, vague abdominal pains, syncopic attacks and anaemia. The mortality rate in the series was 0.7%.

Adolescent↗

A case-control study of primary caesarean section at the Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea, to identify epidemiological predictors of abdominal delivery.

A retrospective study of 274 consecutive primary caesarean sections and 274 unmatched controls was carried out at Port Moresby General Hospital from January to December 1992. The primary caesarean section rate was 3.5%. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that primary caesarean section was significantly associated with maternal height of less than 150 cm; nulliparity; symphysis-fundal height of more than 38 cm at admission in labour; cervical dilatation of less than 4 cm at admission in labour; and the level of fetal head at admission in labour of 3/5 or higher.

Adolescent↗

A retrospective survey of patients with one previous caesarean section delivered at the Port Moresby General Hospital: a comparative study of those delivered vaginally and those delivered by repeat caesarean section.

We studied 510 patients in a retrospective, nonrandomized, comparative survey of vaginal births and repeat caesarean section after one primary caesarean section at the Port Moresby General Hospital. 478 (94%) were allowed a trial of scar (TOS). The most common indications for elective caesarean section in the other 32 patients were cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) 31%, contracted pelvis 19% and preeclampsia 12.5%. In 41% of patients TOS was terminated by emergency caesarean section. Logistic regression analysis showed that the following were significantly associated with repeat caesarean section after TOS: parity of one, no vaginal birth after the primary caesarean section, narrow obstetric conjugate, birthweight of 2500 g or greater, short stature, high level of the head at admission to the labour ward and region of origin.

Adolescent↗

A case-control study of singleton low birthweight babies at the Port Moresby General Hospital.

A retrospective study of 432 consecutive singleton low birthweight babies and 432 unmatched controls was carried out at the Port Moresby General Hospital from January to December 1988. Of the 432 low birthweight babies 65% were preterm, 27% were light for gestational age, 6% were both preterm and light for gestational age and 2.5% could not be classified. The results of the analysis showed low birthweight to be significantly associated with the past delivery of a low birthweight infant, very young and elderly mothers, lack of antenatal care, poor family planning, hypertensive disease in pregnancy and intrauterine death. This study reveals that maternal education and improved antenatal care and family planning would ultimately reduce the incidence of low birthweight babies and perinatal mortality in Papua New Guinea.

Analysis of Variance↗

Antenatal haemoglobin profile at the Port Moresby General Hospital.

From 1 November 1995 to 10 April 1996, 1001 consecutive mothers who had attended the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) antenatal clinic and were delivered in the Maternity Unit of the PMGH were surveyed for their antenatal haemoglobin (Hb) levels. One or more Hb results had been noted in the antenatal records of 997 subjects. The mean of the first Hb level for this sample was 10.6 +/- 1.72 g/dl. The first Hb level was below 10.0 g/dl in 33% of the 997 subjects. The dates were reliable in 777 subjects. The mean first Hb for this group was the same as for the total sample. A subgroup of 449 subjects with reliable dates and first Hb measurement at < or = 26 weeks gestation had a first Hb mean of 10.9 +/- 1.78 g/dl. Among those with reliable dates, 569 had two or more Hb measurements, the last being at > or = 34 weeks. In this subgroup, the mean of the last Hb was 11.1 +/- 1.60 g/dl. The first Hb was measured at < or = 26 weeks in 352 subjects in this subgroup. The means for the first and last Hb levels for this subset were 10.9 +/- 1.78 and 11.1 +/- 1.57 g/dl, respectively; the paired t test did not show any difference between the first and last Hb levels. For subjects in the total sample who had two or more Hb measurements, the mean for the lowest Hb level was 10.0 +/- 1.54; 45% had levels below 10.0 g/dl at some time during the pregnancy.

Anemia↗

A case-control study of stillbirths at the Port Moresby General Hospital.

From September 1995 to May 1997, 315 consecutive stillbirths and 315 randomly selected controls were studied at the Port Moresby General Hospital to determine the causes of the deaths, to describe the sociodemographic and reproductive characteristics of the mothers, and to see if there were any avoidable factors in the stillbirths and where the responsibility for them lay. 249 (79%) of the stillbirths were antepartum and 14% were intrapartum; the timing of death could not be determined in the remaining 21 (7%). 36% of the stillbirths were unexplained. The common identified causes were: syphilis (VDRL and TPHA positive) 10%, intrauterine growth restriction/placental insufficiency 9%, antepartum haemorrhage 9%, malaria 6%, major congenital abnormalities 6%, cord accidents 6%, pregnancy-induced hypertension 5% and acute intrapartum asphyxia 4%. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between stillbirth and the following variables: husband's occupation unskilled, age over 35 years, poor antenatal attendance, a past history of stillbirth, syphilis and malaria. An avoidable factor was established in 41% of the cases; in 60% the responsibility for the avoidable factor lay with the patient and her relatives.

Adult↗

A survey of pregnant women with tuberculosis at the Port Moresby General Hospital.

From March 1995 to February 1998, 110 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in pregnancy or the puerperium at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) were surveyed. 96% were diagnosed as a result of the symptoms of tuberculosis, 4% through contact tracing. 11 of 40 patients who first attended antenatal clinic in the second trimester were not diagnosed until after delivery. The mean birthweight of term infants of TB patients was significantly less than term infants in a previous survey at PMGH. 45% of babies were growth restricted. With increasing duration of treatment, both increasing maternal weight gain in pregnancy and higher mean birthweight were found. Maternal and perinatal mortality were high in the study patients. There were 6 maternal deaths and a perinatal mortality rate of 137/1000. The majority of maternal and fetal losses occurred in patients who had pulmonary, miliary and meningeal TB. Improvement in the detection of tuberculosis in antenatal patients and the introduction of adequate treatment before delivery should prevent maternal deaths and perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Adolescent↗

Perinatal outcome and associated factors of persistent breech presentation at the Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea.

A study of 502 singleton persistent breech presentations and 502 controls of cephalic presentations during labour, at the Port Moresby General Hospital, was carried out from January 1988 to July 1993. In 76 (15%) of the cases, at least one attempt was made at external cephalic version. Backward logistic regression analysis showed that Momase or Islands region ethnicity, previous breech delivery, lack of antenatal care, preterm delivery, low birthweight and congenital anomalies were significantly associated with persistent breech delivery. The perinatal outcome of babies with breech presentation was worse than among babies with cephalic presentation.

Breech Presentation↗

Antepartum prediction of respiratory distress syndrome: a comparison of the shake test, the tap test and the turbidity test.

The shake test, the tap test and the turbidity test were evaluated to determine their accuracy in predicting lung function maturity, ie their ability to predict respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The turbidity test was the most efficient with a sensitivity of 60%, a specificity of 97%, a positive predictive value of 82% and a negative predictive value of 92%. The shake test had a sensitivity of 40%, a specificity of 95%, a positive predictive value of 63% and a negative predictive value of 88%. The tap test at 2 minutes had a sensitivity of 57%, a specificity of 78%, a positive predictive value of 35% and a negative predictive value of 89%. It was fortuitous that the simplest and cheapest test was found to be the most efficient test of the three. We recommend that the turbidity test or at least one of these tests should be used to determine the maturity of lung function when non-urgent elective deliveries are contemplated, to help reduce the incidence of RDS in this group of patients.

Amniotic Fluid↗