The first maternal health initiative of the Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina

The 39 Weeks Project: Eliminating Elective Deliveries Under 39 Weeks’ Gestation

PQCNC 39 Weeks Project

• GOAL: Eliminate elective delivery <39 weeks without documented fetal lung maturity in participating hospitals

• Project director – Nancy Chescheir, MD (Perinatologist)• Project coordinator – Kate Berrien, RN, MS• Expert panel of obstetricians, nurse manager and clinical nurse

specialist from hospitals with existing 39 weeks guidelines• Partnership with NC March of Dimes• 40 participating hospital teams

– Nurse champion– Physician champion– Hospital administrator

39 Weeks Project participating hospitals• Alamance Regional Medical Center• Albemarle Hospital• Blue Ridge Regional Hospital• Cape Fear Valley Medical Center• Carolinas Medical Center• Carolinas Medical Center - Lincoln• Carolinas Medical Center - NorthEast • Carolinas Medical Center - University• Carteret General Hospital• Catawba Valley Medical Center• Central Carolina Hospital• Columbus Regional Healthcare System• Duke University Hospital• Durham Regional Hospital• FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital• FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital• Forsyth Medical Center• Grace Hospital, Blue Ridge Healthcare• Halifax Regional Medical Center• Iredell Memorial Hospital

• Lenoir Memorial Hospital• Mission Hospital• Morehead Memorial Hospital• Nash General Hospital• New Hanover Regional Medical Center• Onslow Memorial Hospital• Pitt County Memorial Hospital• Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville• Randolph Hospital• Rex Health• Rowan Regional Medical Center• Stanly Regional Medical Center• The Outer Banks Hospital• The Women's Hospital of Greensboro• Transylvania Regional Hospital• University of North Carolina Hospitals• WakeMed Cary Hospital• Watauga Medical Center• Wilkes Regional Medical Center• Wilson Medical Center

39 Weeks Project – Timeline

• August 2009: Webinar to orient teams to “lookback” data collection (50-chart review)

• September 2009: Learning session for all teams (38) to review evidence, site-specific data and to develop goals/action plan

• October 2009: Data collection began, sites beginning to test changes. Two additional teams joined.

• December 2009: PQCNC annual meeting, half of teams attended and participated in “town meetings.”

• January 2010: All-team webinar with national speakers• March 2010: Regional town meetings • August 2010: Final learning session• Late Fall 2010: Next maternal health collaborative begins

39 Weeks Project – Data collection

Data collected on every induction and scheduled c-section between 36w0d and 38w6d• Criteria for establishing gestational age• Cervical exam at admission (for inductions)• Mode of delivery• Maternal complications• Newborn complications

– Respiratory support (anything beyond blow-by O2 in the delivery room)– NICU admission– Sepsis– Meconium aspiration syndrome– Transfer out– Death

• Indication(s) for delivery and presence of objective data to support each indicationThe disclaimer: Please note that we do not endorse all of these as legitimate medical reasons for

planned delivery. This list includes items that you may encounter as “indications for delivery.” You may ultimately decide in your hospital’s action plan not to allow some of these without a preceding amniocentesis to confirm gestational age if delivery is planned before 39 weeks.

39 Weeks Project – Indications on data collection tool• Non-reactive NST (Check another indication to

explain why test was done)• BPP ≤ 4 (Check another indication to explain why

test was done)• Eclampsia • HELLP syndrome • PPROM • Placenta previa with active bleeding • Acute placental abruption• Fetal demise• Chorioamnionitis • Chronic hypertension• Pregnancy-induced hypertension/Gestational

hypertension• Preeclampsia• Third trimester bleeding• IUGR (SGA + oligo and/or abnormal testing)• SGA only• Chronic placental abruption• Placenta previa without current bleeding• Diabetes—poor control• Diabetes—good control• Cholestasis of pregnancy• Proteinuric renal disease• Lupus• Decreased fetal movement

• Coagulation defects (thrombophilia, Factor V Ledien

• anticardiolipin antibodies, antiphospholipid syndrome)

• HIV/AIDS• Venous thromboembolism• Isoimmunization• Fetal hydrops• Fetal anomaly• History of prior stillbirth• Genital herpes infection – active or prodromal• Maternal drug use• Oligohydramnios• Multiple gestation• Prior CS with classical or unknown incision• Prior CS with low transverse incision• Long distance from hospital• Prior precipitous labor• Nonvertex presentation• Macrosomia• Polyhydramnios• Previous myomectomy• Advanced cervical dilation• Elective/social/psychosocial• No indication given by provider• Other indication (write in):__________________

Why 39 Weeks?

Joint Commission Perinatal Care Core Measures, effective April 2010:

Elective delivery < 39 weeks

Cesarean section for first-time, low-risk women

Use of antenatal steroids

Health care-associated blood stream infections

Exclusive breastfeeding at hospital discharge

NQF-endorsed voluntary consensus standard for hospital care

The Leapfrog Group perinatal care measure

C-section rates

• In 2007 U.S. cesarean rate was 31.8%, a 54% increase since 1996.

• North Carolina c-section rate was 31.2% in 2007 and 31.3% in 2008.

Induction of labor

• In 1990, 9.5% of all US births started as inductions of labor

• In 2006, 22.3% of all US births were inductions• Rate of increase of medically indicated

inductions was lower than overall induction rate increase

• Elective inductions are approximately 10% of all US deliveries

Fetal Lung MaturityACOG Practice Bulletin #97, August 2008

Fetal Lung MaturityACOG Practice Bulletin #107, August 2009

Induction of Labor To prevent iatrogenic prematurity, fetal pulmonary

maturity should be confirmed before scheduled delivery at less than 39 weeks of gestation unless fetal maturity can be inferred from any of the following historic criteria: US at < 20 weeks confirms EGA of ≥39 weeks FHT by Doppler >30 weeks or by fetoscope >20

weeks 36 weeks since + pregnancy test

Shift in gestational age at birth, 1990-2005

SOURCE: National Vital Statistics System. Births: preliminary data for 2005. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/prelimbirths05/prelimbirths05.htm.

• Study of 24,077 repeat c-sections at term, 1999-2002 at 19 hospitals

• 13,258 (55%) were elective repeat c-sections; of these, 35.8% were before 39 weeks gestation (6.3% at 37 weeks, 29.5% at 38 weeks)

• Looked at neonatal outcomes Primary outcome was a composite of neonatal death,

respiratory distress syndrome, TTN, hypoglycemia, sepsis, NICU admission, NEC, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, CPR, ventilator support, arterial pH below 7.0, 5-minute Apgar 3 or below, prolonged hospitalization (5 or more days).

Timing of Elective Repeat Cesarean Delivery at Term and Neonatal Outcomes

Tita ATN, Landon MB, Spong CY, et al. New England Journal of Medicine; 360:111-120. January 2009

Tita et al, NEJM 2009

Tita et al, NEJM 2009

• There was a statistically significant higher risk among neonates born at 38w4-6d vs. 39 weeks (51% of pre-39 week elective deliveries were at this EGA). The relative risk was 1.21 with CI 1.04-1.40.

• Women who delivered before 39 weeks were more likely to be: Older Lower BMI White Privately insured Had 1st or 2nd trimester U/S for dating

Neonatal and maternal outcomes associated with elective term delivery

Clark SL, Miller DD, Belfort MA, et al. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology; 200:156.e1-156.e4. February 2009

• Prospective observational study in 27 hospitals over 3 months in 2007 (n=17794)

• Of term (>37 weeks) deliveries, 44% were planned. Of planned term deliveries, 71% were purely elective

• 16% of all deliveries were elective induction at term; 9.6% of all deliveries were elective at 37-38 weeks, with about equal numbers of inductions and repeat C/S, and 121 primary elective C/S <39 weeks.

CLARK, FEB 09 AJOG (1)

37 weeks 38 weeks 39+ weeks

ELECTIVE INDUCTIONS

112 678 204

NICU ADMISSIONS

17 44 61

% 15.2 * 7.0* 6.0

ELECTIVE PRIMARY CS

24 97 153

NICU ADMISSIONS

5 16 12

% 20.8* 16.5* 7.8

CLARK FEB 2009 AJOG (2)

37 weeks 38 weeks 39+ weeks

ELECTIVE REPEAT CS

105 696 776

NICU ADMISSION

21 58 62

% 20.0* 8.3 8.0

TOTAL ELECTIVE DELIVERIES

241 1471 2983

NICU ADMISSIONS

43 118 135

% 17.8* 8.0* 4.6

CS rate by dilation at time of induction Clark et al

Health Care Cost & Utilization Project data from AHRQ: 2003

The patient’s voice

What is driving the increase in scheduled delivery before 39 weeks? Maternal complicationsFetal complicationsPatient requestProvider schedulesEmployment issuesDeployment issuesFamily availabilityWhat else?

Women’s Perceptions Regarding the Safety of Births at Various Gestational Ages

Goldenberg RL, McClure EM, Bhattacharya A, Groat T, Stahl. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 114: 1254-1258. December 2009.

The gestational age respondents consider a baby full term (n=650).

Goldenberg et al, 2009

The gestational age respondents considered it safe to delivery a neonate.

What’s next?

• 39 Weeks Project ends this summer

• Focus on “spread” to other NC hospitals and maintenance at those who have decreased rate of electives <39 weeks

• New initiative for 2011: increasing the rate of vaginal delivery among low-risk, first-time mothers at term (reducing the primary c-section rate)!

Questions?

Kate Berrien, RN, BSN, MS

UNC Center for Maternal & Infant Health

39 Weeks Project Coordinator, PQCNC

Kberrien@unch.unc.edu

919-843-9336

www.pqcnc.org

www.mombaby.org