Latest news with #preeclampsia
The Independent
6 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Newborn died within hours after doctor used ‘vacuum-assisted' delivery method, his ‘permanently wounded' parents claim
A newborn suffered a 'short life and prolonged death ' – within hours of his birth – after a Texas doctor attempted a vacuum-assisted delivery, according to a lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed May 29 against the doctor, unnamed nurses, Kessler Women's Healthcare and the Methodist Dallas Medical Center, claims they were negligent in trying to deliver the child vaginally in April 2024, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. According to the suit, the boy, who was named Prime, died of internal brain bleeding caused by his delivery method, but may have lived if the doctor had performed a Cesarean section earlier, instead of attempting to deliver him via vacuum-assisted delivery. The baby's parents, both teachers, headed to the hospital on April 4, 2024, when the 32-year-old mother's water broke, according to the lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, the doctor the family had been seeing was not the one to deliver the baby. While preparing to give birth, Prime's heart rate became abnormal and his mom was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a dangerous complication characterized by high blood pressure. She also had a 102.9 fever, according to the filing. These risk factors, in addition to the baby's large head size and weight, meant the mother would likely have to receive a Cesarean section, the lawsuit claims. However, instead of delivering the baby via C-section, the doctor decided to try vacuum-assisted delivery for a vaginal birth. The process involves using a suction-cup device that attaches to the baby's head to try and help the child down the birth canal, according to the lawsuit. The doctor on call tried to deliver Prime four times, but the suction popped off twice, the family said. The father 'recounted the very 'loud sound' produced by the pop-offs and noted that the force was so significant that it caused (the doctor) to push the chair backwards in the delivery room, suggesting that (she) exerted considerable force during the pulls,' the lawsuit says. Once the newborn was delivered, he was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit. When the mom saw what her son's neck looked like post-birth, 'she wanted to burst into tears,' the filing claims. Prime 'suffered' for 24 hours before he died, according to the filing, which described those hours as a 'short life and prolonged death.' The lawsuit claims the OB-GYN told the family their baby died from an E. coli infection he caught during labor. However, the doctor who conducted the autopsy found his real cause of death was brain hemorrhages from failed vacuum-assisted delivery. 'Permanently wounded, the couple for days, weeks and months have broken down and cried, often uncontrollably,' the lawsuit says. 'Prime's loss has haunted them with nightmares, sleeplessness and intrusive thoughts. Daily life was permanently altered for both, though, they will try to move forward.' Another doctor who was conducting an independent review told the parents Prime may have been born 'healthy and whole' had a C-section been performed sooner, according to the filing. The lawsuit blames the doctor and nurses for not recognizing the baby's distress during labor and taking the appropriate steps sooner. The family also claims in the suit that the doctor never told them of the risks of vacuum-assisted delivery. The couple is seeking damages, claiming negligence, lack of informed consent and their son's wrongful death, according to the report. Methodist Health System said in a statement that it has a 'longstanding policy of not commenting on pending litigation.' The doctor involved told The Dallas Morning News that she couldn't comment on specific patients, but said, 'I will simply say that I am committed to providing the highest quality medical care possible to my patients.'
Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
DiaMedica Therapeutics to Present at Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference 2025
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2025-- DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: DMAC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel treatments for preeclampsia and acute ischemic stroke, today announced that Rick Pauls, President and CEO, and Dave Wambeke, Chief Business Officer, will present at the upcoming Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, being held in New York City, NY, June 3 – 5, 2025. Management will be available for one-on-one meetings with investors to discuss the company's strategy, recent developments and future outlook in greater detail. Presentation Details: Date & Time: June 4, 2025, 12:50 PM Eastern Time Location: New York City, NY About DM199 (rinvecalinase alfa) DM199 (rinvecalinase alfa) is a recombinant form of human tissue kallikrein-1 (rhKLK1) in clinical development for preeclampsia and acute ischemic stroke. KLK1 is a serine protease enzyme that plays an important role in the regulation of diverse physiological processes via a molecular mechanism that increases production of nitric oxide, prostacyclin and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors. In the treatment of preeclampsia, DM199 is intended to lower blood pressure, enhance endothelial health and improve perfusion to maternal organs and the placenta. In the treatment of AIS, DM199 is intended to enhance blood flow and boost neuronal survival in the ischemic penumbra by dilating arterioles surrounding the site of the vascular occlusion and inhibition of apoptosis (neuronal cell death) while also facilitating neuronal remodeling through the promotion of angiogenesis. About DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to improving the lives of people suffering from preeclampsia and acute ischemic stroke. DiaMedica's lead candidate, DM199, is the first pharmaceutically active recombinant (synthetic) form of the KLK1 protein, an established therapeutic modality in Asia for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, preeclampsia and other vascular diseases. For more information visit the Company's website at View source version on CONTACT: Scott Kellen Chief Financial Officer Phone: (763) 496-5118 [email protected] Investor Inquiries: Mike Moyer Managing Director, LifeSci Advisors, LLC [email protected] KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA MINNESOTA NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SCIENCE OTHER SCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH PHARMACEUTICAL HEALTH FDA CLINICAL TRIALS SOURCE: DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 05/22/2025 08:30 AM/DISC: 05/22/2025 08:29 AM
Medscape
22-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Maternal Preeclampsia Tied to Kidney Disease Risk in Kids
Children exposed to maternal preeclampsia and born at term (37 weeks or more) were 26% more likely to develop kidney disease in the first year of life than those not exposed. They also faced notably high risks for chronic, unspecified, and diabetic kidney diseases as they grew older, particularly at or after 25 years of age. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a nationwide register-based cohort study to examine the association between maternal preeclampsia and the risk for kidney disease in their offspring. They analysed data of 2,288,589 offsprings born in Denmark between 1978 and 2017, of whom 63,191 (17.7% preterm) were exposed to maternal preeclampsia; mothers of the included offsprings were required to have pregnancy durations of more than 20 weeks. Information on maternal preeclampsia was identified from the National Patient Register; offsprings were categorised on the basis of their gestational age at birth as early preterm (< 34 weeks), late preterm (34-36 weeks), and term (≥ 37 weeks). Offsprings were considered to have kidney disease if they were registered with any of the following diagnoses: Acute or chronic kidney disease, glomerular and proteinuric disease, diabetic kidney disease, unspecified kidney disease, or kidney disease due to external causes. The median follow-up duration of this cohort was 18.8 years. TAKEAWAY: During the follow-up period, 37,782 individuals developed kidney disease, including 1150 who were exposed to maternal preeclampsia. O ffsprings exposed to maternal preeclampsia had a higher risk of developing overall kidney disease within the first year of life, irrespective of gestational age at delivery (hazard ratio [HR], 1.41; 95% CI, 1.05-1.90 for preterm birth and HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.09-1.46 for term birth), than those not exposed to maternal preeclampsia and born at term. In offsprings born at term, exposure to maternal preeclampsia was strongly associated with increased risks for chronic kidney disease, unspecified kidney disease, and diabetic kidney disease (HR range, 1.36-2.85) at or after the age of 25 years. Exposure to preeclampsia with preterm delivery was not linked to higher rates of kidney disease in offsprings beyond the first year of life. IN PRACTICE: "In adolescents and young adults presenting with signs and symptoms of kidney dysfunction, a history of maternal preeclampsia may warrant an upweighting of kidney disease in the differential diagnosis, despite the patient's youth," the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Ida Lihme, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark. It was published online on May 16, 2025, in Kidney International . LIMITATIONS: Relatively few individuals were exposed to preterm preeclampsia and developed kidney disease, which may have yielded unstable results in some subanalyses and made it difficult to assess associations with early and late preterm preeclampsia separately. In analyses of individual kidney disease subtypes, evidence for associations with preterm preeclampsia was often lacking, likely due to a lack of statistical power. DISCLOSURES: Two authors reported receiving grants from various sources, including the US National Institutes of Health, Danish Council for Independent Research, and Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Medscape
19-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
More Pregnant Patients Now Benefit From Low-Dose Aspirin
Changing the prescribing protocol for low-dose aspirin (LDA) for preeclampsia prevention from risk-based to universal significantly increased aspirin use in pregnant patients, based on new data presented at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2025 Annual Meeting. The use of LDA to reduce the risk for preeclampsia has been well established as an inexpensive and simple intervention, but it has remained underutilized nationwide, said lead author Meryl Y. Grimaldi, MD, of SBH Health System, New York City, in an interview. 'Many of the patients we care for at SBH Health are at high risk for preeclampsia, but we wanted to ensure that our eligible patients received the benefits of this intervention,' said Grimaldi, who presented the study at the meeting. A low rate of LDA use, defined as 25%-50% of eligible patients, is considered a quality gap by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Grimaldi and colleagues noted in their abstract. The current ACOG criteria for use of LDA to prevent preeclampsia include not only high-risk patients but also women with more than one of the following moderate risk factors: First pregnancy, maternal age ≥ 35 years, body mass index > 30, family history of preeclampsia, sociodemographic characteristics, and personal history. 'We hypothesized that the majority of our patients were eligible to receive low-dose aspirin to prevent preeclampsia, but I was surprised that the rate was so high at more than 96%,' Grimaldi told Medscape Medical News . Moving from risk-based to universal recommendations increased the rates of prescribing LDA, she said. In the study, Grimaldi and colleagues reviewed data from charts of 116 patients with a gestational age of 12-28 weeks between February 2024 and May 2024 at a single center. The researchers assessed the charts for preeclampsia risk factors, eligibility for aspirin based on ACOG guidelines, and whether aspirin was prescribed. A policy of universal prescribing of LDA for preeclampsia prevention began in 2023. Prior to this change, LDA prescriptions were risk-based and for approximately 30% of patients, then increased to 46% of patients shortly after the shift to universal prescribing. During the study period, use of LDA increased to 81% overall and 88% in patients with high-risk factors. We assumed universal candidacy was an effective intervention, as indicated by the increased prescribing rates, Grimaldi told Medscape Medical News . Similarly, high-risk populations might benefit from this universal approach to other prenatal care practices, she added. 'This change in practice would not be applicable to a population at lower risk for preeclampsia,' Grimaldi told Medscape Medical News . 'Other approaches, such as EMR [electronic medical record] practice advisories, patient and provider education, and patient questionnaires, can be utilized where universal implementation is inappropriate,' she said. 'Based on our population, we developed a quick screener that could detect most eligible patients with four demographic factors that are in the medical record; this would also be an option to explore,' Grimaldi noted. Success Story Inspires Further Research Administration of LDA has been shown to reduce the risk for preeclampsia, especially preterm preeclampsia, and this risk continues to rise with the increased risk for hypertension, obesity, and diabetes in the pregnant population, said Aleksandr M. Fuks, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, in an interview. 'Aspirin, being essentially the only medication available to reduce the risk of preeclampsia, represents a unique opportunity for healthcare professions to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnancy,' he said. The current study showed a significant increase in the use of LDA in the study population, and although the program's success was not unexpected, Fuks commended the study authors on their implementation of an important quality care initiative. However, the barriers to increasing use of LDA as preeclampsia prevention include not only patient access to prenatal care and compliance with medication intake, but also late initiation of prenatal care, as administration of aspirin beyond the early weeks of the third trimester has not shown a significant effect on preeclampsia prevention, Fuks said. 'The possible solution includes patient education with respect to timely and early initiation of prenatal care, patient education regarding risks of preeclampsia and the role of aspirin in its prevention, outreach efforts to communities, and preconception counseling with emphasis on patients' comorbidities and associated disorders in pregnancy and their prevention,' Fuks added. The main limitation of the study is its retrospective design, relatively small inclusion period, and the inability to address the secondary goal of reduction in the development of preeclampsia in the study population, Fuks told Medscape Medical News . Future research should focus on the analysis of the rate of preeclampsia in the study population who initiated LDA and comparison to retrospective or concurrent cohorts of patients who had only baseline rates of LDA use, said Fuks. 'A larger time interval and multicenter design may be helpful in validating the results of the study and to assess receptivity of different population groups to early initiation of low-dose aspirin during pregnancy,' he said.
Mail & Guardian
11-05-2025
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
African women at higher risk of preeclampsia – a dangerous pregnancy complication
Preeclampsia is a rising threat to maternal and infant health. Urgent investment in genetic research and early detection could save thousands of lives It plays a major part in about And it's on the rise. The incidence of preeclampsia in Africa jumped by about Preeclampsia usually occurs in young mothers during their first pregnancy. Girls under the age of 18 are Not only does preeclampsia pose a serious threat to women, it also harms babies, contributes to stillbirth, Yet we still do not know enough about preeclampsia. This gap has driven my research into the disease. I conducted the My work But African women are at An additional finding from my research is that genetic protection from preeclampsia works differently across populations. African populations carry unique protective genes. But, even with these additional protections, African women are at greater risk of developing severe preeclampsia because of the other problems such as access to healthcare and socio-economic constraints. There's inequality in the treatment of the condition too. In my experience, wealthier and better-educated African women often receive the diagnosis and treatment. Poorer and less-educated African women often do not. Preeclampsia research, especially in Africa, requires a lot more funding, as does broader research related to the maternal health of African women. Preeclampsia in Uganda About 287 000 Most of these deaths are preventable. For example, about Uganda's health ministry recorded in 2023 that out of 1 276 According to the World Health Organisation's The neonatal Infant mortality (death before a child turns one) is 31 per 1 000 live births in Uganda versus 3.7 in Australia. This stark contrast highlights an enormous gap in care that the two countries' pregnant mothers and babies receive. Part of the problem in Uganda, as in many developing countries, is persistent problems in healthcare infrastructure and resources. There are shortages of healthcare workers, medical supplies and facilities, particularly in the rural areas. (Graphic: John McCann/M&G) Early detection is key As a clinician and researcher working at the centre of Uganda's healthcare system, I witness mothers arriving at hospitals already in a The condition is both preventable and treatable if caught early. My These predictive biomarkers, as they are called, enable us to categorise patients based on their risk levels and identify those most likely to benefit from specific treatments or preventive measures. The precise causes of preeclampsia are not certain, but factors beyond genetics are thought to be problems with the immune system and inadequate development of the placenta. But much of what researchers know comes from work done in high-income countries, often with a limited sample size of African women. Consequently, the findings may not apply directly to the genetics of sub-Saharan African women. My research addresses this knowledge gap. Building on my findings about genetic determinants, I am leading a research team at Makerere University in Uganda to design interventions tailored to specific prevention and treatment strategies for African populations. Raising awareness Research alone is not enough. There is an urgent need to bridge the gap between research and practice. During my fieldwork, I have witnessed first-hand how many Ugandan women are not aware of preeclampsia's warning signs and miss out on vital prenatal care. These warning signs often include headache, disturbances with vision, upper pain in the right side of the abdomen and swelling of the legs. But we can develop screening algorithms so that healthcare professionals can rapidly diagnose women at higher risk early in their pregnancy. Timely intervention, including specific treatment and plans for delivery, would reduce the risk of adverse outcomes for both the mother and the baby. In my capacity as a national pre-eclampsia champion appointed by Uganda's health ministry, I am spearheading initiatives to raise awareness and improve access to maternal healthcare services. Through community outreach programmes and educational campaigns, we want to empower all women, rich and poor, with knowledge about the condition and encourage them to seek medical assistance at an early stage. More resources must be allocated to genetics research to realise our goals of prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of preeclampsia and its associated complications. This investment will drive the development of predictive technology for precise diagnosis, and enable timely intervention for at-risk mothers. Moreover, investigating the genetic roots of preeclampsia could lead to novel therapies that reduce the need for costly medical procedures or prolonged care for those affected. This would reduce the strain on already overburdened African healthcare systems. Annettee Nakimuli is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. This article first appeared in .
