A feasibility study of the use of UmbiFlow™ to assess the impact of heat stress on fetoplacental blood flow in field studies.
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BORIS DOI
Publisher DOI
PubMed ID
36165637
Description
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the use of UmbiFlow™ in field settings to assess the impact of heat stress on umbilical artery resistance index (RI).
METHODS
This feasibility study was conducted in West Kiang, The Gambia, West Africa; a rural area with increasing exposure to extreme heat. We recruited women with singleton fetuses who performed manual tasks (such as farming) during pregnancy to an observational cohort study. The umbilical artery RI was measured at rest, during and at the end of a typical working shift in women ≥ 28 weeks' gestation. Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) were classified as stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, or small for gestational age, and all other outcomes as normal.
RESULTS
A total of 40 participants were included; 23 normal births and 17 APO. Umbilical artery RI demonstrated a nonlinear relationship to heat stress, with indication of a potential threshold value for placental insufficiency at 32°C by Universal Thermal Climate Index and 30°C by Wet Bulb Globe Temperature.
CONCLUSIONS
The Umbiflow™ device proved to be an effective field method for assessing placental function. Dynamic changes in RI may begin to explain the association between extreme heat and APO with an identified threshold of effect.
To evaluate the use of UmbiFlow™ in field settings to assess the impact of heat stress on umbilical artery resistance index (RI).
METHODS
This feasibility study was conducted in West Kiang, The Gambia, West Africa; a rural area with increasing exposure to extreme heat. We recruited women with singleton fetuses who performed manual tasks (such as farming) during pregnancy to an observational cohort study. The umbilical artery RI was measured at rest, during and at the end of a typical working shift in women ≥ 28 weeks' gestation. Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) were classified as stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, or small for gestational age, and all other outcomes as normal.
RESULTS
A total of 40 participants were included; 23 normal births and 17 APO. Umbilical artery RI demonstrated a nonlinear relationship to heat stress, with indication of a potential threshold value for placental insufficiency at 32°C by Universal Thermal Climate Index and 30°C by Wet Bulb Globe Temperature.
CONCLUSIONS
The Umbiflow™ device proved to be an effective field method for assessing placental function. Dynamic changes in RI may begin to explain the association between extreme heat and APO with an identified threshold of effect.
Date of Publication
2023-02
Publication Type
Article
Keyword(s)
Africa climate change fetoplacental circulation heat pregnancy
Language(s)
en
Contributor(s)
Bonell, Ana | |
Vannevel, Valerie | |
Sonko, Bakary | |
Mohammed, Nuredin | |
Haines, Andy | |
Maxwell, Neil S | |
Hirst, Jane | |
Prentice, Andrew M |
Additional Credits
Series
International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics
Publisher
Elsevier
ISSN
0020-7292
Access(Rights)
open.access