Placenta previa: an outcome-based cohort study in a contemporary obstetric population

The objective of the study is to characterize the maternal and neonatal morbidities of women with placenta previa.

This retrospective group study used the Consortium on Safe Labor electronic database, including 12 clinical centers, and 19 hospitals. Patients with placenta previa noted at the time of delivery were included. Maternal and neonatal variables were compared to a control group of women undergoing cesarean delivery with no previa. Logistic regression and general linear regression were used for the analysis, with p < 0.05 significance.

There were 19,069 patients in the study: 452 in the placenta previa group and 18,617 in the control group. Neonates born to mothers with placenta previa had lower gestational ages and birth weights. In univariate analysis only, these neonates were at increased risk of lower 5 min Apgar scores, neonatal intensive care unit admission, anemia, respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical ventilation, and intraventricular hemorrhage. There was no association of placenta previa with small for gestational age infants, congenital anomalies or death. As previously shown, women with placenta previa have significantly more maternal morbidities.

Increased maternal morbidity was noted; however, only those neonatal morbidities associated with preterm delivery occurred in the placenta previa group.