Dr. Chapa’s OBGYN Clinical Pearls

Latest Episodes:

HS in Pregnancy Jul 25, 2023

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Skin conditions can't affect pregnancy outcomes, right? After all, the skin is just the skin. WRONG! As a chronic inflammatory disease, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) exemplifies the link between integumentary and comorbid systemic disease through shared inflammatory pathways. Patients have double the comorbidity burden compared with the general population, and hidradenitis suppurativa has independent associations with several individual comorbid diseases. During pregnancy, HS also is associated with some specific pregnancy related morbidities. Successful management of hidradenitis suppurativa is challenging and at times requires comprehensive care from a coordinated team of health care professionals, including dermatologists, general or plastic surgeons, experts in pain management and wound care. In this episode, we ill summarize the pathogenesis of HS, its treatment, and its affect on pregnancy and vice-versa.

AHA BP Cutoffs Helpful in Pregnancy? (Aug 2023 Data) Jul 23, 2023

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In Feb 2023, the USPSTF recommended that clinicians “screen for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy”. Specifically, they stated that “measuring blood pressure at each prenatal visit is the best approach”. Mind blowing I know. 😳😊 But sarcasm aside, a new publication- set to be released next month in AJOG (Slade LJ et al; Aug 2023)- validates this recommendation…not that it needed validation, for frequent BP monitoring during pregnancy. This has to do with the “sensitivity” of BP results in pregnancy compared to the “specificity”. Ahhh…intrigued? In this episode, we will review this upcoming publication aimed at evaluate whether the definition of gestational HTN should be revised according to the 2017 ACC and AHA criteria, and whether or not there is an association between adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes based on those lower BP levels. And as always, you’ll want to stay with us until the end of the episode as we pass on real world clinical implications of these findings.

BV RX to Prevent PTB? Jul 22, 2023

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On April 5,2023 the U.S. FDA withdrew its approval of Makena and generic forms of 17-a hydroxyprogesterone caproate for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth. Having the only medication which had been FDA approved for the prevention of preterm birth taken away, has left clinicians investigating other possible strategies that can cause a dent in preterm birth rate. As Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal abnormality in reproductive age women, naturally the spotlight would fall on the treatment of BV for preterm birth prevention. After all, BV is a well-known risk factor for preterm birth. There’s been new advances in the diagnostic tools for vaginal infections, so BV is back in the hot seat as a possible intervention for PTB prevention. Yes, this has been investigated in the past. But in this episode, we’re going to highlight 2 recent publications- one from March 2023, and one from July 17th 2023- which help to solidify the answer to this question: “can treatment of BV help prevent preterm birth?” Let’s talk about that… now.

Up, Up, and AWAY!😊👋😊👋😊 Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

FYI. We just released our episode for today, July 14, 2023, and will be out until July 23!

Does Walking Induce Labor? 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️🤰 Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

Its hard to be pregnancy in the late third trimester, especially in a HOT state like TEXAS in the summer. Pregnant individuals will try just about anything "to just get this baby to come out already!" Historically, walking, spicy foods, and SEX have been "employed" to get the labor process going. Does it work? In this episode we will look at the data examining whether labor can induce spontaneous labor. Is this a myth or a real thing? What about CURB WALKING?! That works, right? Lots to cover and explain in this one...so let's get our walking shoes on and get to it.

False Positive “Confirmation” Syphilis Test? Jul 13, 2023

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There’s no such thing as a “false positive syphilis confirmation test”, is there? After all… It’s right there in the name, CONFIRMATION test! Well, not all positive confirmation tests are true positives, especially when that test is the FTA-ABS. Yes, it’s true, the specificity for this is very good between 95 to 98%. But there are cases of BFPs (Biologic False Positives), which have been reported and published in the literature. This is why putting the test results in clinical context is very important. In this episode, we will highlight a real clinical scenario where a “low level“ confirmation test did not fit the clinical picture (asymptomatic, monogamous, low risk patient). Is there something else going on here? What about autoimmune conditions? Can pregnancy itself cause a false positive FTA-ABS? And more importantly… What are the options for management in this case? We’ll discuss all of this, and also review the “reverse syphilis algorithm” in this episode.

The Bandl Band Jul 11, 2023

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The Bandl Constriction Ring. It is real. It exists. Its true incidence is unclear as it lacks uniform reporting when found at time of cesarean. As labor guideline are more permissive of slowed labor progress, some fear that the incidence of Bandl's Band may rise. What is this ring? What is the pathophysiology of this abnormal uterine response? Can ultrasound detect this labor abnormality? In this episode we will cover the fascinating and controversial history of the Bandl Band and review some key publications describing its potential morbidity.

How the Sausage is Made! 🤣😊😳 Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

Just a little description of what happens “behind the scenes“! Enjoy. 😊😊❤️❤️😩😩

Early GDM RX New Data: 👎😕🙁😔 Jul 09, 2023

Show notes

Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes. Currently, the ACOG recommends early screening for GDM for women “at risk”. However, other experts disagree with this approach. On October 6, 2022 we released a podcast episode called “Early GDM Screening: Evidence-based?”. In that episode we covered the controversy regarding early GDM screening, in other words- screening under 24 weeks. We have been following this story and debate for over 2 years now; we first released the episode investigating the utility of early screening back on May 7, 2021 with an episode called “early GDM screening: Does it matter?”. The controversy surrounds maternal and neonatal outcomes… does it improve with early screening? Well… we have more data now! YEP.. looks like we were vindicated in our prior messages covering this! In this episode, we will summarize key findings from a recent June 2023 publication in the NEJM titled, “Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Diagnosed Early in Pregnancy”. The lead author is Simmons. So…should we be doing early screening for GDM? We’ll highlight the data.

Brand NEW Consensus Statement on OSA in Pregnancy (July 6, 2023) Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

Well, Well, Well, this is very interesting. Back in May 10, 2023, we released an episode on "OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) in Pregnancy: Time to Screen?". In that episode, we summarized the impressive data on OSA in pregnancy and its association with some adverse perinatal sequelae. Spring forward to July 6, 2023, the ACOG has now released a brand new Consensus Statement on OSA in pregnancy. This statement is a joint guideline from the Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine and the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. Seems that we were ahead of the curve on this one. So, should we screen for OSA in pregnancy? The answer is YES and NO. Is CPAP really safe in pregnancy? We'll explain in this episode.

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