Fetomaternal haemorrhage (FMH) was studied after 46 cordocenteses. alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) concentration and Kleihauer staining of maternal blood, taken both before and after the procedure, revealed increases in AFP values of more than 40 per cent in 30 per cent of the patients examined; fetal haemorrhage of more than 0.25 ml was detected in 46 per cent of the cases by the Kleihauer test. In the second trimester of pregnancy both techniques are comparable, while in the third trimester the Kleihauer technique appears to be more sensitive in detecting FMH after cordocentesis. An anterior position of the placenta is a risk factor for FMH.

No abstract

Prostaglandins may be more effective for preventing recurrence of severe postpartum hemorrhage than the oxytocin and ergometrine combination, but they do not eliminate the risk entirely.

Sulprostone, in a continuous low-dose intravenously, is effective for termination of pregnancy in the critically ill preeclamptic woman. Our study, including two patients with serious deterioration of pulmonary function during and one maternal death after induction, does not permit definitive conclusions regarding the safety in these patients.