Articles

Associations between maternal nutritional status, haemodynamic parameters and delivery outcomes in low-risk pregnancies: a prospective observational study

Objective. Cardiovascular adaptations represent the most relevant physiological changes of the maternal body during pregnancy, ensuring adequate utero-placental blood perfu­sion for intrauterine growth and development. Additionally, maternal nutritional status represents a pivotal predictor of pregnancy outcomes.
Materials and Methods. This prospective observational study investigates the associations between maternal char­acteristics and nutritional habits at term, haemodynam­ic parameters, and pregnancy outcomes. Healthy women with singleton uncomplicated pregnancies were enrolled at 36-41 gestational weeks. At enrolment, a nutritional score (0-10) based on ten questions with binary yes/no answers was calculated to quantify maternal adherence to a healthy diet and lifestyle. Maternal haemodynamic parameters were assessed by using the Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor (USCOM), including cardiac output (CO), system­ic vascular resistance (SVR) and Smith-Madigan inotropy index (SMII). Pregnancy outcomes were recorded at deliv­ery. Associations between maternal characteristics and nu­tritional score, haemodynamic parameters, and pregnancy outcomes were investigated by using multi-adjusted gener­alized linear models.
Results. 143 pregnancies were enrolled. Pregestational body mass index was positively associated with SVR (β = 43.16, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with CO (β = -0.07, p < 0.001) and SMII (β = -0.02, p = 0.02). Additionally, a positive associ­ation was detected between the nutritional score and SMII (β = 0.05, p = 0.005). Finally, CO was positively associated with birth (β = 7.48, p = 0.05) and placental (β = 44.27, p < 0.01) weight, while RVS showed a negative association with birth (β = -0.01, p = 0.02) and placental (β = -0.06, p = 0.02) weight.
Conclusions. This study shows that maternal derangements in nutritional status and habits are associated with a compro­mised haemodynamic profile at term, with additional impact on intrauterine growth.

Table of Content: Vol. 36 (Supplement No. 2) 2024 – Conference Proceedings

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