Relationship between the Prenatal Diagnosis of Placenta Acreta Spectrum and Lower Use of Blood Components

To describe the clinical results of patients admitted and managed as cases of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) at a Central American public hospital and the influence of the prenatal diagnosis on the condition.

A retrospective analysis of PAS patients treated at Hospital Bertha Calderón Roque, in Managua, Nicaragua, between June 2017 and September 2021. The diagnostic criteria used were those of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique, FIGO, in French). The population was divided into patients with a prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis of PAS (group 1) and those whose the diagnosis of PAS was established at the time of the caesarean section (group 2).

During the search, we found 103 cases with a histological and/or clinical diagnosis of PAS; groups 1 and 2 were composed of 51 and 52 patients respectively. Regarding the clinical results of both groups, the patients in group 1 presented a lower frequency of transfusions (56.9% versus 96.1% in group 2), use of a lower number of red blood cell units (RBCUs) among those undergoing transfusions (median: 1; interquartile range: [IQR]: 0-4 versus median: 3; [IQR]: 2-4] in group 2), and lower frequency of 4 or more RBCU transfusions (29.4% versus 46.1% in group 2). Group 1 also exhibited a non-significant trend toward a lower volume of blood loss (1,000 mL [IQR]: 750-2,000 mL versus 1,500 mL [IQR]: 1,200-1,800 mL in group 2), and lower requirement of pelvic packing (1.9% versus 7.7% in group 2).

Establishing a prenatal diagnosis of PAS is related to a lower frequency of transfusions. We observed a high frequency of prenatal diagnostic failures of PAS. It is a priority to improve prenatal detection of this disease.