5 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Preeclampsia with new-onset hypertension and proteinuria is a pregnancy-specific disease that affects 5-7% of gestations usually after the 20th week. Most cases are mild, but severe cases exhibit multiple abnormalities in blood and maternal organ systems. Severe forms of preeclampsia/eclampsia are a major contributor to maternal death in the world. Delivery stops disease progression and recovery can begin. Patients with mild preeclampsia between 34-38 weeks' gestation usually are hospitalized for evaluation and close monitoring of signs, symptoms, and certain laboratory studies as reflectors of disease status. As inpatients mothers are monitored frequently for evidence of maternal or fetal compromise until 38 weeks gestation when delivery is accomplished. If a patient with mild preeclampsia labors after 34 weeks, no attempt is made to stop labor and delivery is undertaken. It remains unclear when during the third trimester that delivery should be accomplished for maximal maternal safety and minimal fetal risk. In this research project, we will identify patients who are at least 34 weeks pregnant with mild preeclampsia. After informed consent to participate in the trial, we will randomize participants to either be delivered immediately or treated with observation and maternal-fetal surveillance in hospital as described previously with delivery at 38 weeks. There will be 110 participants enrolled in each arm of the study for a total of 220 patients who will be managed in the Wiser Hospital. We intend to analyze a number of maternal and fetal outcomes including cost comparisons for the care of both mother and fetus in the two groups of randomized patients. The findings should impact care of the pregnant patient with mild preeclampsia in the third trimester with regard to how early and how late in gestation that delivery should be accomplished for optimal maternal and perinatal benefit.
Acid/base imbalances are not well understood in pre-eclamptics, and better tools are needed to allow a thorough and meaningful evaluation. Disorders of electrolytes and albumin are common findings \[13, 14\], and the impact of such disorders on acid-base homeostasis has increasingly been acknowledged \[4, 15\]. The purpose of this prospective case-control study is to evaluate acid-base status in 100 women with mild or severe pre-eclampsia and 25 healthy controls by applying the Stewart Fencl's physicochemical acid-base model. We hypothesize that several simultaneous, and possibly offsetting, metabolic acid-base disorders will be identified and quantified, and that these may be useful to guide clinicians in their medical management and indication for delivery. Intermediate and long-term goals are to evaluate the ability of the Stewart Fencl's physicochemical acid-base model to guide fluid management and predict maternal and neonatal outcomes.
The purpose of this study is to 1. Identify a cut-off for the ratio of the serum proteins soluble FMS-like Tyrosine Kinase 1 (sFLT-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) that identifies women will who develop preeclampsia with severe features within 2 weeks of testing (clinically positive) from those who do not develop preeclampsia with severe features within 2 weeks of testing (clinically negative) among preterm pregnant women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. And 2. To validate the cut-off the ratio of sFLT-1 and PlGF and to validate the performance of the automated assays used to find the cut-off. Test performance includes positive predictive value, negative predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity. Subjects will provide blood, urine, and saliva samples at the time of enrollment. Samples will be frozen for batch assessment of sFLT-1 and PlGF levels by automated assays. Clinicians, subjects, and researchers will be blinded to protein level assessment, therefore assay results will not affect clinical management.
Preeclampsia complicates approximately 8% of all pregnancies. A critical factor of outpatient monitoring is patient education; specifically, education regarding nature of the disease, ongoing short- and long-term risks, and warning signs and symptoms for worsening of disease. This study aims to compare patient knowledge using a novel illustration based app compared to standard discharge instructions.
The investigators plan to enroll women with PE prospectively to evaluate incremental cardiovascular risk in those who have PE with severe features. This study includes detailed echocardiographic evaluation at several time points. With the current proposal, the investigators aim to collect blood to evaluate several biomarkers to determine if there is a correlation with short and medium-term cardiovascular risk. This opens the door to earlier detection, treatment and improved cardiovascular outcomes.