Diagnosis and Management of Pregnant Women With Placental Abruption and Neonatal Outcomes

Background Placenta abruptio (PA) remains a serious materno-fetal complication. According to progress realized in maternal-fetal medicine, we aimed to evaluate the diagnosis and management of PA and neonatal outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective study that involved all the patients that were diagnosed with PA in a tertiary maternity hospital between 2006 and 2013. Data were analyzed to determine mean and standard deviation and statistically analyzed using the Chi-square test. Results In total, 201 patients were diagnosed with PA out of 35184 deliveries (0.56%). The mean age of patients was 30 years and most of them were multiparous (56.2%). Thirty-six out of 201 patients (17.9%) smoked tobacco or consumed alcohol during the pregnancy. Three patients came from their homes. Twenty-eight patients had preeclampsia and 105 presented with high blood pressure. Furthermore, 117 patients presented metrorrhagia (58.2%) and 39% of patients exhibited abdominal pain. We reported fetal heart rate abnormalities in 57% of the cases. Ultrasound examination revealed PA in only 48 patients (23.9%). One hundred eighty out of 201 patients (84.6%) underwent an emergency caesarean section. One hundred sixty-seven fetuses were born prematurely. Thirteen out of 201 fetuses died, and 98 newborns needed neonatal resuscitation. In total, 31 fetuses had an umbilical artery (UA) with pH ≤ 7 (31/188). The mean time for delivery was 18.7 min. However, UA pH did not differ when the delivery time was shorter (p = 0.09). Seventy-six percent of cases came from their homes. The mean UA pH was significantly lower for PA cases who came from their homes compared to hospitalized women (p = 0.0015). Histological examination of the placenta confirmed the diagnosis in 71 out of 148 cases (47.9%). The mean duration of hospital stay of the newborns was 17 days. Conclusion PA remains a serious materno-fetal emergency with a bad fetal prognosis for many newborns. Many fetuses either died or exhibited severe acidosis. Clinical signs and radiological images of PA are absent in many cases. There was more fetal acidosis for mothers who came from their homes at the time of delivery. We recommend that the delivery should not be delayed and a cesarean section must be the preferred mode of delivery. Pregnant women with vascular and metabolic diseases should be carefully monitored and informed on the risk of PA.