| 1. |
- Henriksson, Pontus, et al.
(author)
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A Smartphone App to Promote Healthy Weight Gain, Diet, and Physical Activity During Pregnancy (HealthyMoms) : Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
- 2019
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In: JMIR Research Protocols. - : JMIR Publications Inc.. - 1929-0748. ; 8:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Excessive gestational weight gain is common and associated with adverse outcomes both in the short and long term. Although traditional lifestyle-based interventions have shown to mitigate excess gestational weight gain, little is known about whether mobile Health (mHealth) apps can promote healthy weight gain, diet, and physical activity during pregnancy.OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of the HealthyMoms trial is to determine the effectiveness of a smartphone app (HealthyMoms) for mitigating excess gestational weight gain during pregnancy. Secondary aims are to determine the effectiveness of the app on dietary habits, physical activity, body fatness, and glycemia during pregnancy.METHODS: HealthyMoms is a two-arm randomized controlled trial. Women are being recruited at routine visits at the maternity clinics in Linköping, Norrköping and Motala, Sweden. Women are randomized to the control or intervention group (n=150 per group). All women will receive standard care, and women in the intervention group will also receive the HealthyMoms smartphone app.RESULTS: Recruitment of participants to the trial was initiated in October 2017, and 190 women have so far completed the baseline measurement. The baseline measures are estimated to be finalized in December 2019, and the follow-up measures are estimated to be completed in June 2020.CONCLUSIONS: This project will evaluate a novel smartphone app intervention integrated with existing maternity health care. If successful, it has great potential to be implemented nationally in order to promote healthy weight gain and health behaviors during pregnancy.INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/13011.
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| 2. |
- Hildebrand, Eric, et al.
(author)
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Long-term effects of the nine-item list intervention on obstetric and neonatal outcomes in Robson group 1-A time series study
- 2021
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In: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 100:1, s. 154-161
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- IntroductionThe nine‐item list, with organizational and cultural changes, was implemented at the delivery unit in Linköping, Sweden between 2007 and 2010, aiming at improving the quality of care by offering more women a safe and attractive vaginal delivery. The target group for the intervention was nulliparous women at term with spontaneous onset of labor and cephalic presentation (Robson group 1). The aim of this study was to evaluate pregnancy outcomes before, during, early post and late post introduction of the nine‐item list.Material and methodsRobson group 1 births (n = 12 763) from 2004 to 2018 were divided into four time periods; before the nine‐item list (2004‐2006), during introduction of the nine‐item list (2007‐2010), early post introduction of the nine‐item list (2011‐2014) and late post introduction of the nine‐item list (2015‐2018). The nine‐item list consists of monitoring of obstetric results, midwife coordinator, risk classification of women, three midwife‐competence levels, teamwork—the midwife, obstetrician and nurse working as a team with the common goal of a normal delivery, obstetric morning round, fetal monitoring skills and obstetric skills training. Perinatal outcomes before, during, early post and late post introduction were compared using a Student's t test for numerical variables and a Pearson chi‐squared test for categorical variables.ResultsApgar score <7 at 5 minutes, Apgar score <4 at 5 minutes and umbilical cord arterial pH <7 did not differ significantly between the four time periods. Between before introduction and early post introduction, instrumental vaginal delivery decreased from 19.8% to 12.2% and cesarean section from 9.6% to 4.5%. The late post introduction period showed a maintained effect with 10.7% instrumental deliveries and 3.9% cesarean sections. Obstetric anal sphincter injury grade III decreased instantly during the introduction of the nine‐item list from 7.8% to 5.1% and thereafter remained unchanged.ConclusionsImplementation of the nine‐item list increased the proportion of spontaneous vaginal deliveries by reducing the number of instrumental deliveries and cesarean sections without affecting the neonatal outcomes in nulliparous women with spontaneous onset of labor. The nine‐item list intervention seems to provide long‐term sustainable results.
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| 3. |
- Axelsson, Daniel, et al.
(author)
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Vitamin D deficiency at the time of delivery : Prevalence and risk of postpartum infections
- 2019
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 14:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Postpartum infections are a common cause of morbidity after childbirth. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase the risk for several infections in a non-pregnant population. Vitamin D deficiency has been described as common in pregnant women.Objective: To investigate whether vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women in labor was associated with an increased risk of overall postpartum infectious morbidity within eight weeks of delivery. A secondary aim was to estimate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women in Linkoping, Sweden at the time of delivery.Material and methods: Serum vitamin D levels in labor were analyzed for 1397 women. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum levels <50 nmol/L. All ICD-10 codes given to the women eight weeks postpartum were reviewed and postpartum infections were defined as the presence of an ICD-10 code suggestive of infection. The prevalence of postpartum infections among women with sufficient vitamin D levels was compared with women with vitamin D deficiency. Adjusted Odds Ratios and 95% confidence intervals for postpartum infections were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results: Fifty eight per cent of the women had serum vitamin D levels <50 nmol/L. The proportion of women with vitamin D deficiency varied, as expected, with season. No association between vitamin D deficiency and postpartum infections was found. For vitamin D 25-50 nmol/L the adjusted Odds Ratio was 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.56-1.29) and for vitamin D <25 nmol/L the adjusted Odds Ratio was 1.15 (95% confidence interval 0.66-2.03). Women who smoked or who had a cesarean section had an increased risk of postpartum infections.Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency was more common than previously reported in Swedish pregnant women. No association between vitamin D deficiency and postpartum infections was found. Other well-known risk factors for postpartum infection were identified.
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| 4. |
- Blomberg, Marie, 1963-, et al.
(author)
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Congenital malformations in the southeast of Sweden : a registry study with validation
- 2000
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In: Acta Paediatrica. - : Wiley. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 89:10, s. 1238-1243
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A study was made of the occurrence of congenital malformations in the southeast region of Sweden, utilizing all available relevant health registries. Östergötland county had been pinpointed in a routine surveillance as having an increased malformation risk. Various validations of the register data were undertaken and different types of errors were detected. An increased risk was seen, in Östergötland county compared to the reference counties, for specific types of malformations: preauricular appendices, pylorostenosis, uterine/vaginal malformations, foot deformities, limb reduction defects and cardiovascular malformations. Variable classification or registration artefacts explained the excess among the first four conditions. Limb reduction defects were also mis-coded, but the increased risk in Östergötland county may persist.Conclusion: There is an increased risk of major cardiovascular malformations in Östergötland county compared to the reference counties that also shows an uneven distribution within the county.
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| 5. |
- Carlhäll, Sara, 1974-
(author)
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Maternal obesity, duration of labor and the role of leptin
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: The prevalence of obesity substantially increases in pregnant women. Maternal obesity is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. The increased risk for cesarean section present in obese women has been related to potential impaired uterine contractility. The mechanism that underlies this theory is not clear. In vitro studies have shown that leptin, produced by adipose tissue and the placenta, exerts an inhibitory effect on myometrial contractility. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the labor process in relation to maternal body mass index (BMI) and the clinical role of leptin in this process.Material and Methods: Studies I-IV are cohort studies. The first two studies analyze the association between labor duration and maternal BMI based on data from the Perinatal Revision South register and the Swedish Pregnancy Register. Study I included 63,829 nulliparous women with a spontaneous onset of labor between 1995 and 2009. Study II included 15,259 nulliparous women with induced labor between 2014 and 2017. In study III, the maternal leptin levels during and after pregnancy were analyzed in 343 obese women with respect to their obesity class (I-III) and degree of gestational weight gain (GWG). In study IV, the association between the maternal leptin levels measured in active labor and duration of the active phase of labor was analyzed in 914 women.Results: The duration of spontaneous labor significantly increased with an increasing maternal BMI; however, the duration of the pushing phase was inversely related to BMI. Time in induced labor increased with maternal BMI; however, the differences between the BMI categories were more pronounced in the latent phase than the active phase. Leptin levels were higher in women with obesity class III than women with class I during and after pregnancy. The degree of GWG in obese women was not associated with maternal leptin. No significant association between maternal leptin and the duration of the active phase of labor was identified in the adjusted analyses.Conclusions: Nulliparous obese women have a higher risk for a prolonged duration of spontaneous and induced labor. This is important to consider prior to diagnosing labor arrest that results in a cesarean delivery. As maternal leptin levels are increased with the degree of obesity during pregnancy, future research on the association of high maternal leptin levels and the duration of labor is warranted.
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| 6. |
- Carlhäll, Sara, 1974-, et al.
(author)
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Maternal plasma leptin levels in relation to the duration of the active phase of labor
- 2018
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In: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 97:10, s. 1248-1256
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract Introduction Obese women have increased leptin levels and longer duration of labor compared with normal-weight women. Leptin has an inhibitory effect on myometrial contractility in vitro. Our purpose was to examine whether maternal leptin levels in active labor were associated with the duration of the active phase of labor. Material and methods This prospective cohort study included 914 women. Maternal blood samples were collected in active labor. The plasma-leptin concentration was obtained using a direct sandwich-based ELISA. Bivariate and multiple linear regression analyses were used to study the association between leptin levels and the duration of labor. Results A 1 ng/mL increase in maternal plasma leptin was associated with a 0.015 hour increase in duration of labor (P < .007). This association was not statistically significant in the adjusted analyses nor when analyzing nulliparous and multiparous women separately. In women with spontaneous labor (n = 766) leptin levels were not associated with an increase in duration of labor in the adjusted analyses. Conclusions There was no significant association between leptin levels and duration of the active phase of labor. Leptin in vivo might display a similar dose-response effect on myometrial contractility as demonstrated in in vitro studies. Future studies need to explore the association between leptin levels and time in labor in obese women with high leptin levels to evaluate a possible dose-response effect.
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| 7. |
- Carlsson, Ylva, 1975, et al.
(author)
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COVID-19 in Pregnancy and Early Childhood (COPE): study protocol for a prospective, multicentre biobank, survey and database cohort study.
- 2021
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In: BMJ open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 11:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is limited knowledge on how the SARS-CoV-2 affects pregnancy outcomes. Studies investigating the impact of COVID-19 in early pregnancy are scarce and information on long-term follow-up is lacking.The purpose of this project is to study the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy outcomes and long-term maternal and child health by: (1) establishing a database and biobank from pregnant women with COVID-19 and presumably non-infected women and their infants and (2) examining how women and their partners experience pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood in the COVID-19 pandemic.This is a national, multicentre, prospective cohort study involving 27 Swedish maternity units accounting for over 86000 deliveries/year. Pregnant women are included when they: (1) test positive for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 group) or (2) are non-infected and seek healthcare at one of their routine antenatal visits (screening group). Blood, as well as other biological samples, are collected at different time points during and after pregnancy. Child health up to 4years of age and parent experience of pregnancy, delivery, early parenthood, healthcare and society in general will be examined using web-based questionnaires based on validated instruments. Short- and long-term health outcomes will be collected from Swedish health registers and the parents' experiences will be studied by performing qualitative interviews.Confidentiality aspects such as data encryption and storage comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and with ethical committee requirements. This study has been granted national ethical approval by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (dnr 2020-02189 and amendments 2020-02848, 2020-05016, 2020-06696 and 2021-00870) and national biobank approval by the Biobank Väst (dnr B2000526:970). Results from the project will be published in peer-reviewed journals.NCT04433364.
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| 8. |
- Hjertberg, Linda, et al.
(author)
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Body mass index and complications after obstetric anal sphincter injury, 8 weeks postpartum
- 2022
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In: International Urogynecology Journal. - : Springer London Ltd. - 0937-3462 .- 1433-3023. ; 33, s. 3465-3472
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction and hypothesis The impact of body mass index (BMI) on pelvic floor recovery after an obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that urinary incontinence (UI) and anal incontinence (AI) are more common in overweight and obese women than in normal-weight women 8 weeks postpartum in women with OASI. Methods A population-based cohort study including 6,595 primiparous women, with an OASI, delivered between 2014 and 2019. Exposure and questionnaire data were retrieved from the Swedish Perineal Laceration Registry. Uni- and multivariate analyses were used to compare normal-weight (BMI <= 24.9, reference), overweight (25.0-29.9), and obese (>= 30) women with regard to UI and AI at 8 weeks post-partum. Results Multivariate analyses showed an increased risk for urinary incontinence (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.27-1.87) among overweight women as well as among obese women (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.32-2.24). In contrast to our hypothesis, both overweight women (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.56-0.83) and obese women (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.49-0.87) were at a decreased risk for any gas and/or faecal incontinence after adjustment to possible confounding factors. The absolute rate of AI was 40.1% among normal-weight women, 34.2% among overweight women, and 29.1% in the obese group. Conclusions Urinary incontinence is more common, whereas AI is less common among overweight and obese women than in primiparous women with a BMI <24.9, 8 weeks after an OASI. The new finding, that overweight women report less AI than normal-weight women, merits further study.
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| 9. |
- Hjertberg, Linda, 1978-
(author)
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The impact of maternal body mass index on pelvic floor during labor and after childbirth, and a new anesthetic approach for repair of perineal lacerations
- 2024
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Objectives: This thesis aimed to assess the impact of maternal body mass index (BMI) on pelvic floor during labor and focusing on pelvic floor function following an anal sphincter injury (OASI). Additionally, the objective was to design a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with the objective to evaluate the impact of supplementary anesthesia during the examination and repair of obstetric perineal lacerations.Material and Methods: Study I was an observational prospective cohort study, conducted at the maternity ward Linköping University Hospital, including 207 primiparous women in the active phase of labor. Transperineal ultrasound was used for measurement of the anovaginal distance (AVD) during active phase of labor, with AVD measurements analyzed in relation to the women's BMI groups. Study II and III were nationwide Swedish register studies, including 6595 women with a first time vaginal birth complicated by an OASI. Data was sourced from the Swedish Perineal Laceration Register (PLR), based on medical records and patient reported outcome measurements (PROM). Women were categorized by BMI, and analyses were performed on PROM data at the 8 week follow-up (Study II), and at the 12 month follow-up (Study III), after an OASI. Study IV, a study protocol for a RCT, with parallel groups. Women who undergo examination and repair of obstetric perineal lacerations (grade I and II) are randomized into two arms (1:1); analgesia with pudendal nerve block (PNB) with Ropivacaine®-the PNB group or analgesia with PNB in combination with patient-controlled sedation (PCS) with propofol, the PCS group.Results: Obese women exhibited a higher AVD compared to normal weight women. The mean AVD was 25 mm for primiparous women in the active phase of labor. Overweight and obese women reported fewer wound complications than normal weight women at 8 weeks postpartum. Additionally, overweight and obese women had a lower risk of anal incontinence (AI) at 8 weeks after an OASI compared to normal weight counterparts. However, at 12 months after an OASI, the risk of AI was comparable across BMI groups. Urinary incontinence (UI) was more prevalent among overweight and obese women, with a higher risk of UI both at 8 weeks and 12 months after an OASI compared to normal weight women. Overweight and obese women had a lower risk of reporting dyspareunia at 12 months after an OASI compared to normal weight women. Results from the ongoing RCT are pending.Conclusions: Differences in the AVD during active phase of labor were observed between women with normal weight and those who were overweight or obese. The higher AVD in obese women compared to normal weight women may indicate a valuable anatomical distinction that could be protective for pelvic floor muscles vulnerable during labor. Furthermore, women sustaining an OASI after their first vaginal birth reported distinct complications at 8 weeks and 12 months postpartum based on BMI. Various explanations may underlie these differences in reported complications, including the hypothesis that women with overweight and obesity may experience less extensive involvement of other pelvic floor muscles and nerves, leading to a reduced risk of AI and dyspareunia during the initial postpartum year. Overweight and obese women demonstrated a lower risk of AI and wound complications at 8 weeks, as well as a lower risk of dyspareunia 12 months after a first time vaginal delivery complicated by an OASI. However, the risk of UI was higher among overweight and obese women at both 8 weeks and at 12 months after a first-time vaginal delivery complicated by an OASI. The divergence in complications and symptoms among women in different BMI groups during the initial postpartum year following an OASI underscores the importance of tailored postpartum care, necessitating to individualize advice and follow-ups.
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| 10. |
- Hopwood, Nick, et al.
(author)
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Double stimulation in healthcare emergencies : fostering expansive, collective tool use through simulation-based continuing professional education
- 2022
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In: Pedagogy, Culture & Society. - : Routledge. - 1468-1366 .- 1747-5104. ; 30:1, s. 71-87
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper explains how simulation-based continuing professional education can enable professionals to overcome significant challenges in healthcare practice. It focuses on pedagogies that address conflicts of motives experienced by teams at work by promoting collective use of protocols and an auxiliary motive to collaborate in agile, relational practices. Data relating to a simulation programme (PROBE) associated with reduced injuries in emergency birth situations are examined. The concept of double stimulation informs analysis of simulated scenarios and linked debriefs. PROBE transforms a commonly used protocol from a memory tool used by individuals to an ‘in-between’ tool used expansively and collectively across the birthing team. Crucial to this are diverse epistemic levels of mediation that enable teams to resolve conflicted, high-stakes situations through fluid, responsive interactions. Indications in the data that PROBE pedagogies foster transformative agency among health professionals are highlighted and discussed. The paper thus adds to understanding of how double stimulation as a principle of volitional action can be put to work in continuing professional education.
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