Objective. To assess quality of care of women with severe maternal morbidity and to identify associated factors. Method. This is a national multicenter cross-sectional study performing surveillance for severe maternal morbidity, using the World Health Organization criteria. The expected number of maternal deaths was calculated with the maternal severity index (MSI) based on the severity of complication, and the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for each center was estimated. Analyses on the adequacy of care were performed. Results. 17 hospitals were classified as providing adequate and 10 as nonadequate care. Besides almost twofold increase in maternal mortality ratio, the main factors associated with nonadequate performance were geographic difficulty in accessing health services (P < 0.001), delays related to quality of medical care (P = 0.012), absence of blood derivatives (P = 0.013), difficulties of communication between health services (P = 0.004), and any delay during the whole process (P = 0.039). Conclusions. This is an example of how evaluation of the performance of health services is possible, using a benchmarking tool specific to Obstetrics. In this study the MSI was a useful tool for identifying differences in maternal mortality ratios and factors associated with nonadequate performance of care.

RESUMOObjetivo: construir curva de altura uterina em função da idade gestacional em gestantes de baixo risco e comparar os valores com os da curva adotada nacionalmente. Métodos: estudo observacional e prospectivo. A amostra foi constituída por 227 gestantes atendidas no setor de pré-natal de dois serviços públicos de saúde de João Pessoa, PB. Foram incluídas mulheres com idade gestacional de certeza, feto único, vivo e sem malformações, sem condição patológica materno-fetal conhecida que pudesse afetar o crescimento fetal, com peso corporal normal e não-fumantes. As gestantes foram submetidas à medição padronizada da altura uterina entre a 13ª e a 39ª semana. A idade gestacional (foi confirmada por ultra-sonografia. O mesmo observador realizou 1206 medidas de altura uterina, com média de 5,3 medidas por gestante. Para análise estatística, adotou-se nível de significância de 5%. Foram construídas tabelas e curvas com os valores dos percentis 10, 50 e 90 da altura uterina em função da idade gestacional. Resultados: os valores dos percentis 10, 50 e 90 da altura uterina em cada idade gestacional permitiram a construção de curva padrão de altura uterina por idade gestacional em gestações de baixo risco. A análise comparativa visual entre as curvas mostrou que elas são diferentes. A diferença entre os valores médios de altura uterina deste estudo e os valores da curva adotada pelo Ministério de Saúde foi significativa a partir da 19ª semana de gestação. Conclusão: as duas curvas de altura uterina podem ter desempenhos diferentes quando utilizadas na assistência pré-natal para rastrear desvios do crescimento fetal. A curva padrão de altura uterina por idade gestacional construída deverá ser validada posteriormente para uso como padrão de normalidade. PALAVRAS-CHAVE:Cuidado pré-natal; Fatores de risco; Idade gestacional ABSTRACT Purpose: to build a curve of fundal height according to gestational age among low-risk pregnant women and to compare it with the official standards used in Brazil. Methods: a prospective observational study was carried out. A sample of 227 lowrisk pregnant women with gestational age from 13 to 39 weeks was followed-up in the prenatal care sector of two public health services from João Pessoa, PB. Women with a known gestational age, a single live fetus, without malformation, with no known maternal-fetal pathological condition that could possibly affect fetal growth, with a normal body weight, and nonsmokers were included in the study. Their fundal height was measured in a standard way, after a previous ultrasound done to confirm the gestational age. The same investigator performed 1206 measurements and each woman had a mean of 5.3 measurements. Statistical tests were performed with a significance level of 5%. Tables and graphs of fundal height were built according to the gestational age with the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles. Results: the values of percentiles 10, 50 and 90 of fundal height in each gestational age allowed the construction of a pattern curve of fundal height by gestational age...

OBJECTIVE:To validate a new symphysis-fundal curve for screening fetal growth deviations and to compare its performance with the standard curve adopted by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. METHODS:Observational study including a total of 753 low-risk pregnant women with gestational age above 27 weeks between March to October 2006 in the city of João Pessoa, Northeastern Brazil. Symphisys-fundal was measured using a standard technique recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Estimated fetal weight assessed through ultrasound using the Brazilian fetal weight chart for gestational age was the gold standard. A subsample of 122 women with neonatal weight measurements was taken up to seven days after estimated fetal weight measurements and symphisys-fundal classifi cation was compared with Lubchenco growth reference curve as gold standard. Sensitivity, specifi city, positive and negative predictive values were calculated. The McNemar χ 2 test was used for comparing sensitivity of both symphisys-fundal curves studied. RESULTS:The sensitivity of the new curve for detecting small for gestational age fetuses was 51.6% while that of the Brazilian Ministry of Health reference curve was signifi cantly lower (12.5%). In the subsample using neonatal weight as gold standard, the sensitivity of the new reference curve was 85.7% while that of the Brazilian Ministry of Health was 42.9% for detecting small for gestational age. CONCLUSIONS:The diagnostic performance of the new curve for detecting small for gestational age fetuses was signifi cantly higher than that of the Brazilian Ministry of Health reference curve.

OBJETIVO: avaliar a correlação entre o peso fetal estimado (PFE) por ultrassonografia e o peso neonatal (PN), bem como a capacidade do PFE predizer as alterações do PN entre gestantes de João Pessoa (PB). MÉTODOS: estudo de validação diagnóstica incluindo 122 gestantes que tiveram o PFE calculado por ultrassonografia até sete dias antes do parto e o PN determinado imediatamente após o nascimento, com balança específica para recém-nascidos. A correlação entre o PFE e o PN foi avaliada pelo coeficiente de correlação de Pearson entre as duas medidas e pela média das diferenças entre elas. O PFE e o PN foram classificados em: pequeno para idade gestacional (PIG), adequado para a idade gestacional (AIG) e grande para a idade gestacional (GIG), de acordo com os percentis 10 e 90 das respectivas curvas de referência. O diagnóstico de desvios do PFE foi validado utilizando a curva de valores de referência de peso neonatal de Alexander como padrão-ouro, estimando-se a sensibilidade, especificidade, valores preditivos positivo e negativo. RESULTADOS: houve uma elevada correlação linear entre o PFE e o PN (R=0,96) e a diferença entre eles variou entre -474 g e +480 g, com média de +3 g. A maioria das máximas variações percentuais da estimativa de peso esteve entre 10 e 15%. O PFE teve sensibilidade de 85,7% e especificidade de 100% para detecção de PIG, e de 100 e 77,2%, respectivamente, para GIG. CONCLUSÕES: o PFE é capaz de predizer adequadamente o PN, e a curva de PFE de referência testada teve bom desempenho no rastreamento dos desvios do crescimento fetal, quando utilizada nessa população.Abstract PURPOSE: to evaluate the correlation between the estimated fetal weight (EFW) by ultrasonography and the neonatal weight (NW), as well as the EFW's capacity to predict changes in NW among pregnant women in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. METHODS: a diagnostic validation study, including 122 pregnant women who have had the EFW calculated by ultrasonography up to seven days before delivery and the NW established immediately after birth, with a specific newborn's scale. The correlation between EFW and NW measurements was assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient and by the mean difference between them. EFW and NW were classified as: low for the gestational age (LGA), adequate for the gestational age (AGA) and high for the gestational age (HGA), according to the percentiles 10 and 90 of the respective reference curves. The diagnosis of EFW deviation has been validated using the values of the Alexander's NW reference curve as gold-standard, by estimating the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. RESULTS: there has been a high linear correlation between the EFW and NW (R=0.96), and the difference between them has varied from -474 g to +480 g, with an average of +3 g. Most of the highest percent weight estimate variations were between 10 and 15%. EFW has had 85.7% of sensitivity and 100% of specificity for the detection of LGA, and 100 and 77.2%, respectively, for the detection of HGA. CONCLUSIONS...

Three-dimensional sonography showed good interobserver reproducibility, which was better for the right kidney. It appears necessary to establish standardized techniques for acquisition of sonographic renal volumes.