The use of cerclage for preventing preterm birth: indication, maternal characteristics and perinatal outcomes

• Grant number: 23/00956-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2023
• End date: March 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health
• Principal Investigator: Renato Teixeira Souza
• Grantee: Gabriela Monteiro Pereira
• Host Institution: Centro de Atenção Integral à Saúde da Mulher (CAISM). Hospital da Mulher Professor Doutor José Aristodemo Pinotti. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Evaluation of perinatal indications and outcomes of uterine cerclage in women treated at the Center for Integrative Attention to Women's Health (CAISM - UNICAMP). Methodology: retrospective case series investigation of pregnant women who received cervical cerclage at the UNICAMP Center for Integral Attention to Women's Health between January 2003 and January 2023. Included will be pregnancies of women who undergone elective or elective uterine cerclage. The cases will be identified through an examination of the Surgical Center's records database. As this is a retrospective study collecting data from patients' medical records, we will request that the permission form be waived. Researchers are accountable for protecting the privacy of patients' personal information. Analysis Plan: The data will initially be evaluated using descriptive tables. Depending on the nature and distribution of the data, the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test will be used to assess the frequencies of early and late problems and the success rate among women with different features undergoing different procedures. Expected results: With the completion of the cerclage procedure, it is anticipated that the rates of prematurity, premature membrane rupture, and newborn ICU hospitalization will decrease. In addition, the greater success of this procedure must be correlated with the early initiation of prenatal care, an adequate investigation of the uterine cervix prior to the procedure, and the administration of adjuvant therapy in cases of certain preexisting conditions that may cause early complications after cerclage. It should be highlighted that a portion of the data will be crucial for guiding new techniques and identifying knowledge gaps pertinent to future study.