The Management of Postmaturity

The Problem of Postmaturity

“…Our findings are in agreem ent with those of Ballanlyne (1922), Rathbun (1943), Stöckel (1954), McKeown-Gibson (1952), Racker (1953, Higgins (1956), Paravalou (1956), Macafee and BancroftLivingston (1958) etc. The drop in weight after the 43rd week, noticed by m any authors (Rathbun 1943, Kampermann 1948, Gibson, MeKeotvn 1950 was noticed in our series too.…”

Postmaturity and Hypertension

“…The most important of these is a rise in the stillbirth rate. This has been pointed out by many observers, Clayton (1941), Bickenbach (1947), Racker, Burgess and Manly (1953), and others. Karn and Penrose (1951), in a study of 13,730 single births at University College Obstetric Hospital from 1935-46, showed a significant increase in the combined stillbirth and neonatal rate associated with postmaturity.…”

Perinatal deaths: analysis by clinical cause to assess value of induction of labour.

“…2 Various factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of heart failure during chronic renal insufficiency-for example, coronary artery disease and-hypertension,' pericarditis, hypokalaemia or hyperkalaemia, disorders of calcium metabolism, and possibly anaemia, acidosis, and overhydration with hypervolaemia. 3 The question remains whether a specifically "uraemic" cardiomyopathy, due to the retention of normally excreted or metabolised substances, may also be implicated.5 6 In 1944 Raab7 suggested that cardiotoxic substances may exist in the blood and heart muscle in uraemia, and recent experimental evidence has supported the suggestion that uraemia may have a direct effect on myocardial function. During acute renal failure in rats Nivatpumin et al8 observed increased contractility in the myocardium, whereas Riecker et a14 suggested that the contractile state of the acutely uraemic heart was diminished after adrenergic stimulation in the guineapig in vivo.…”