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Biomedical subjects

J Lumley

Publications and source records attributed to J Lumley.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Ultrasound during pregnancy: a discussion. Interview by Max Allen.

Prenatal screening by ultrasound is increasing in the United States. In 1990, 52 percent of mothers who had live births received ultrasound, compared with 48 percent in 1989 (Monthly Vital Stat Rep 1993; 42:2(S):6). A recent multicenter, randomized study of 15,151 low-risk pregnant women, conducted by the Routine Antenatal Diagnostic Imaging With Ultrasound (RADIUS) Study Group, reported no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between women who received no ultrasound scan and women who received two scans during pregnancy (N Engl J Med 1993; 329:821-827). Ewigman et al concluded, "The adoption of routine ultrasound screening in the United States would add considerably to the cost of care in pregnancy, with no improvement in perinatal outcome."

Australia↗

Attenders and nonattenders at childbirth education classes in Australia: how do they and their births differ?

This study assessed the associations between attendance at childbirth preparation classes and the health behaviors, birth events, satisfaction with care, and later emotional well-being of women having their first child. A postal survey was conducted of a population-based cohort of 1193 women who gave birth in two weeks in 1989 in Victoria, Australia. The response was 71.4 percent (790/1107). Classes were attended by 245 (83.9%) of 292 primiparous women. Those who did not attend were significantly more likely to be under age 25 years, not to have completed secondary education, to be single, to have a low family income and no health insurance, and to be public hospital clinic patients. Differences between women who attended classes and those who did not, with respect to measures of pain and to the use of procedures, interventions, and pain relief, were rare and minor. No differences occurred between the groups in their satisfaction with the provision of information through pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period. Only one of five measures of satisfaction with care was less favorable in nonattenders. Attenders were not more confident about looking after their infants at home or less likely to be depressed eight months after birth. Significant differences occurred between the groups on four health behaviors: cigarette smoking, missed antenatal appointments, breastfeeding, and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Attendance at childbirth preparation classes in Victoria is not associated with differences in birth events, satisfaction with care, or emotional well-being among women having their first child.

Adult↗

Antenatal care: a case of the inverse care law?

As part of a review of maternity services this study assessed satisfaction with antenatal care among 1193 women who gave birth in Victoria during two weeks of 1989, except for those who had a stillbirth or whose infant died between the birth and the survey. The survey questionnaire was mailed to women eight to nine months after the birth. The response rate, excluding duplicates, women who gave birth outside the survey period and those whose questionnaires were returned because of a change of address was 71.5 per cent. Women attending public hospital clinics were the least satisfied with antenatal care and those attending private obstetricians were the most satisfied, with general practitioners intermediate. These differences by provider accounted for almost all the differences by sociodemographic factors (age, marital status, family income, being of non-English-speaking background and health insurance status). While the majority of women were happy with their antenatal care, an inverse care law still applied: women whose economic and social circumstances meant they were most likely to need 'care' from caregivers were more likely to be limited in their choice of caregiver and to be dissatisfied with the care they received.

Adult↗

Importance of complete follow-up of spontaneous fetal loss after amniocentesis and chorion villus sampling.

Women who are the most difficult to trace after amniocentesis or chorion villus sampling are often those who have had an adverse pregnancy outcome. To calculate total fetal loss figures for use in prenatal counselling we have followed in a multicentre study 100% of women who had undergone these procedures. Early spontaneous loss (within three weeks of the procedure) and total spontaneous loss were much lower after amniocentesis (0.2% and 1.3%, respectively) than after chorion villus sampling (1.2% and 2.9%). Four spontaneous fetal losses among the 20 pregnancies that were the most difficult to follow-up increased the loss rate by 0.5% for chorion villus sampling. Risk of early fetal loss after chorion villus sampling was related to experience of the operator (relative risk [RR] 4.3, p = 0.003), and total fetal loss was lower in pregnancies tested at 10 weeks' or more gestational age compared with those tested before 10 weeks' (RR 0.4, p = 0.01). A table showing the frequency of each of the seven possible outcomes after amniocentesis and chorion villus sampling is useful in counselling those considering one or other test.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

Antenatal uterine activity monitoring of women at increased risk of preterm labour.

The aim of the study was to investigate the usefulness of antenatal uterine activity monitoring in the management of women at increased risk of preterm labour on the basis of a past history of preterm birth or mid-trimester abortion. Uterine activity was recorded every 2 weeks between 20 and 28 weeks gestation. Activity was considered to be increased if pressure changes > 15 mmHg were detected. Fifty-eight women had uterine activity monitoring. Of them, 39 had normal uterine activity. Nineteen women had increased activity and they were randomized to either a study group (9) where the findings were revealed to the clinicians caring for them or a control group (10) where the findings were not revealed. There was no standard regimen of management for the study group except that additional uterine activity monitoring was performed to provide feed back to the clinicians about their interventions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of uterine activity monitoring for preterm births and for preterm births before 32 weeks were disappointing. Uterine activity monitoring was not useful for predicting births prior to 32 weeks; most of these were preceded by prelabour rupture of the membranes. The pregnancy outcome of women with increased uterine activity was not better if clinicians were aware of that increased activity than if they were not.

Female↗

Climatic temperature and variation in the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome between the Australian states.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationship between climatic temperature and the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) for the Australian States and examine the extent to which differences in climatic temperature might explain the regional variation of SIDS in Australia. DESIGN: Case series study. A generalised linear model was used to model the association between monthly average temperature and the incidence of SIDS. SETTING: The report is population based. Data are available from all Australian States. SUBJECTS: Cases of SIDS from birth to less than 12 months of age occurring in Queensland (1981-1987), New South Wales (1981-1987), Victoria (1984-1987), Tasmania (1975-1989), South Australia (1980-1989), and Western Australia (1980-1988). RESULTS: Every one degree Celsius decrease in average monthly temperature within the range 9 degrees C to 25 degrees C is associated with a 10.6% (95% confidence interval, 9.6%-11.7%) increase in the incidence of SIDS. Climatic temperature accounts for 84% of the interstate variation in the rate of SIDS. After controlling for the effect of temperature, a significant overall difference in SIDS incidence remains (P less than 0.0001) for the Australian States. CONCLUSION: Climatic temperature accounts for most but not all of the regional variation of SIDS incidence in the Australian States. The remaining variation may reflect differences in the maternal and infant characteristics of the State populations.

Australia↗

Sudden infant death syndrome: factors contributing to the difference in incidence between Victoria and Tasmania.

OBJECTIVE: To examine how much of the difference in incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) between Tasmania and Victoria could be accounted for by the effect of differing climatic temperature and the effect of the differing prevalence of maternal and infant characteristics in the two State populations. DESIGN: A two population ecological comparison. Two previously published predictive models were applied to quantify the contribution of several factors to the higher incidence of SIDS in Tasmania compared with Victoria. SETTING: A population based study involving the two Australian States of Tasmania and Victoria. PATIENTS: The characteristics of the 1985 to 1987 live birth cohorts of Tasmania and Victoria were examined. Cases were defined as all infants dying in 1985 to 1987 whose cause of death was stated as SIDS. RESULTS: The rate of SIDS for Tasmania and Victoria 1985 to 1987 was 3.76 per 1000 live births and 2.18 per 1000 live births respectively. Adjustment of the Tasmanian rate for the effect of the interstate difference in climatic temperature resulted in a lower Tasmanian rate of 2.92 per 1000 live births. Adjustment for the effect of interstate differences in maternal age, birthweight, infant sex, month of birth and intention to breast-feed at hospital discharge decreased the Tasmanian rate to 2.47 per 1000 live births. CONCLUSION: Approximately 82% of the interstate difference in SIDS incidence between Tasmania and Victoria from 1985 to 1987 can be accounted for by differences in climatic temperature, maternal age, birth-weight, infant sex, month of birth and feeding intention at hospital discharge.

Adult↗

To stay or not to stay: are fears about shorter postnatal hospital stays justified?

Common concerns raised during a Ministerial Review of Birthing Services in Victoria, Australia about the potential detrimental effects of shorter hospital stays after birth were examined in a study of women's actual experiences of and opinions about their hospital stays. Just under one in four women left hospital within five days of the birth, with the greater majority staying five days or more. Satisfaction with length of stay was high in the sample, with 82% of women feeling their stay had been about right, 11% feeling it had been too long and only 7% of women feeling their stay had been too short. A number of the concerns about the consequences of shorter lengths of stay were not borne out. Women who left hospital earlier than the traditional 5-7 day stay were not less likely to breast feed, nor were they more likely to be depressed 8-9 months after the birth. They were also much more likely to feel confident about looking after their baby when they went home than women who stayed five days or more. Implications for further research and for policy development concerning length of stay are considered.

Adult↗

Low birthweight and socioeconomic status, Victoria 1982 to 1986.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the incidence of low birthweight and socioeconomic status, in particular whether the relationship was different for very low birthweight (less than 1500 g) and moderately low birthweight (1500 to 2499 g). The study population was births from 1982 to 1986 to women resident in Victoria (300,704). Data on socioeconomic status were derived from an indicator developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics from the 1981 census and applied to postcodes. Using the rates of very low birthweight and moderately low birthweight in the highest socioeconomic status decile as the reference value we found that the relative risk for very low birthweight was significantly raised in only the lowest socioeconomic status decile (relative risk = 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17 to 1.42). The relative risk for moderately low birthweight was increased in the two lowest deciles: 1.19 (CI 1.12 to 1.26) and 1.09 (CI 1.01 to 1.17) respectively. Women not married at the time of the birth had a higher rate of low birthweight and were more likely to live in the lower socioeconomic status postcode areas. The relationships between very low birthweight, moderately low birthweight and socioeconomic status were attenuated but still significant when this factor was taken into account. Differences in low birthweight by socioeconomic status decile were not apparent for nonsmoking women. The relationship between smoking and low birthweight was different in the two lowest socioeconomic status deciles: the relative risk of low birthweight in smokers was 2.60 (CI 1.73 to 3.91) compared with a relative risk of 1.64 (CI 1.33 to 2.03) in deciles 3 to 10.

Australia↗

The safety of team midwifery: the first decade of the Monash Birth Centre.

OBJECTIVE: To review the safety of team midwifery care, in terms of perinatal mortality, for pregnant women assessed at their first visit as being at low risk of complications. DESIGN: A cohort study. SETTING: Team midwifery unit (Birth Centre) in a tertiary hospital. PATIENTS: All women who made a booking and met the selection criteria at their first antenatal visit (3085), excluding those with spontaneous or induced fetal loss before 20 weeks (89) and those who withdrew at their own request to seek an alternative form of care (138); the 2858 remaining women gave birth to 2874 infants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perinatal mortality rate; and birthweight specific perinatal mortality ratio with reference values being specific rates for birthweight in Victoria for 1984-1985. RESULTS: The perinatal mortality rate was 7.7 per 1000 births (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.8-11.6) for the whole cohort; for women beginning labour in the Birth Centre it was 1.3 per 1000 births (95% CI, 0.3-3.9). The birthweight standardised perinatal mortality ratio was 80 (95% CI, 50-122). CONCLUSION: Within this setting, with explicit criteria for booking and referral, and a framework for consultation, team midwifery care is as safe as the standard maternity care provided within the State.

Birth Weight↗

Preventing and managing prematurity.

In the past decade the prevention and management of prematurity have begun to be addressed with more appropriate designs. A few strategies--very few--can now be recommended. A few, some widely implemented, can be abandoned. The risks and benefits of most interventions still require clarification.

Delivery, Obstetric↗