4 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The investigators wish to compare the difference in both cost and time to result for determining fetal lung maturity for the Lamellar Body Count method and the Fetal Lung Maturity II. Our hypothesis is that the time to result will be significantly less using the Lamellar Body Count method, and the cost associated with this method over the traditional FLM II will be favorable.
Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome affects babies who are born preterm and requires them to be placed on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit. Over 15 million babies were born premature and these numbers have been increasing. It is caused by lungs which are still too immature to produce adequate amounts of surfactant. This surfactant reduces the alveolar surface tension and maintains the alveoli from collapsing. Collapsed alveoli prevent gas exchange and greatly increase work of breathing. Surfactant is a biochemical complex made up mostly of phospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol and these, in turn, appear to be synthesized by lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 (LPCAT 1). The investigators have previously established that hLPCAT1 mRNA in maternal serum correlates with lamellar body count, a well established clinical marker of fetal lung maturity.
This study is been designed to answer the question of whether local anesthesia (1% lidocaine) decreases the perception of pain associated with amniocentesis in a randomized double blind placebo controlled manner. Our objective is to determine the effect of local anesthesia on the maternal pain perception from an amniocentesis.
Objectives: To evaluate discordance in lung maturity in diamniotic twins based on birth order, sex and body weight. If we find discordance in fetal lung maturity in twin gestations this will change current practice of sampling only one amniotic sac for evaluation of fetal lung maturity.