Summary: | Thesis (MCur)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The importance of maintaining maternal wellbeing during the antenatal period is mandatory to the mother and the baby. Although asymptomatic maternal tachycardia could be seen as part of the physiological changes during pregnancy, it could also be a sign of a serious underlying condition. Previous studies have shown that maternal deaths could occur in women with pre-existing cardiac conditions (Naidoo, Desai & Moodley, 2002:17). The concern that many conditions associated with maternal tachycardia pass through the health care system without being noticed or investigated motivated the researcher to undertake this study.
The study aimed to determine the prevalence of maternal tachycardia during late pregnancy and its association with anaemia, major cardiac diseases and/or complications and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. A case-control retrospective study design within a prospective study was employed with a quantitative approach. A total sample size of 204 participants, constituting 14.3% of the study population (N=1431) was purposefully selected from the Monica AN24™ recordings of the Safe Passage Study at Tygerberg Hospital to collect the data. Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and a waiver of consent had been granted.
A group of 16 participants, who met the inclusion criteria, constituting 7.8% of the total sample, was selected for the pilot study. Reliability and validity was ensured by the pilot study and pre-testing the data collection instrument as it was tested under the exact circumstances as the actual study experts in the field of nursing and medical research and statistics were used. The data was analyzed by the use of the STATISTICA version 9 programme.
The results show a 7.1% (n=102) prevalence of maternal tachycardia in late pregnancy. There were no pre-existing cardiac conditions in any of the groups and no maternal cardiac complications during pregnancy and delivery. The case group had a higher incidence (55.0%) of haemoglobin values lower than 11.0 g/dL than the control group (47.0%), however the Mann-Whitney U test revealed no statistically significant difference of the Hb values at 28 to 38 weeks between the case and the control groups. The participants presenting with anaemia (Hb < 11.0 g/dL) were classified as mild anaemia (Hb value of 7.0 – 10.9 g/dL). There were no participants that presented with severe anaemia (Hb value of < 7.0g/dL). There was an increased prevalence (9.1%) of infection in the participants presenting with maternal tachycardia, although this difference was not significant between the two groups. The infant outcome revealed an increased mean birth weight of 194g for the case group that presented with maternal tachycardia.
Several recommendations were identified that were grounded in the study findings. The findings reveal that the current antenatal care practice in terms of not recording the maternal heart rate is sufficient. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die belangrikheid van die handhawing van moederlike welsyn gedurende die voorgeboorte tydperk is noodsaaklik vir die moeder en die baba. Alhoewel asimptomatiese moederlike tagikardie gesien kan word as deel van die fisiologiese veranderinge tydens swangerskap, kan dit ook 'n teken wees van 'n ernstige onderliggende toestand. Vorige studies het aangetoon dat moederlike sterftes kan voorkom in vroue met voorafgaande harttoestande (Naidoo, Desai & Moodley, 2002:17). Die kommer dat verskeie toestande wat verband hou met moederlike tagikardie, deur die gesondheidsorg stelsel kan deurglip sonder om opgemerk te word, het die navorser gemotiveer om hierdie studie te onderneem.
Die studie is daarop gemik om die voorkoms van moederlike tagikardie tydens laat swangerskap en sy verbintenis met anemie, ernstige hartsiektes en/of komplikasies en ongunstige moederlike en perinatale uitkoms te bepaal. 'n Gevalkontrole retrospektiewe studie-ontwerp binne 'n voornemende studie is gebruik met 'n kwantitatiewe benadering. 'n Totale steekproefgrootte van 204 deelnemers, wat 14.3% van die populasie (N=1431) uitmaak is op ‘n doelgerigte manier uitgekies uit die Monica AN24™ opnames van die Veilige Geboorte Studie by Tygerberg Hospitaal om die data in te samel. Etiese goedkeuring is verkry van die Mensnavorsing Etiese komitee komitee van Fakulteit van Geneeskunde en Gesondheidswetenskappe van die Universiteit Stellenbosch en 'n kwytskelding van toestemming is verleen.
'n Groep van 16 deelnemers, wat voldoen aan die insluitingskriteria, wat 7,8% van die totale steekproef bestaan, is geselekteer vir die loodsstudie. Betroubaarheid en geldigheid is verseker deur die loodsstudie en die voorafgaande toets van die data-insamelingsinstrument onder presies dieselfde omstandighede as die werklike studie sowel as die gebruik van kenners in die gebied van verpleging en mediese navorsing en statistiek. Die data is ontleed deur die gebruik van die Statistica weergawe 9 program.
Die resultate toon 'n 7,1% (n=102) voorkoms van moederlike tagikardie in laat swangerskap. Daar was geen onderliggende harttoestande in enige van die groepe en geen moederlike hartkomplikasies tydens swangerskap en geboorte nie. Die gevalgroep het 'n hoër voorkoms (55,0%) van Hb waardes laer as 11.0 g/dl as die kontrole groep (47.0%) gehad, maar die Mann-Whitney U-toets toon geen statisties beduidende verskil in die Hb waardes by 28-38 weke tussen die geval en die kontrolegroepe nie. Die deelnemers met anemie (Hb < 11.0 g/dl) is geklassifiseer met ligte bloedarmoede (Hb waarde van 7.0-10.9 g/dl). Daar was geen deelnemers wat erge bloedarmoede (Hb waarde van < 7.0g/dL) getoon het nie. Daar was verhoogde voorkoms (9,1%) van infeksie in die deelnemers met moederlike tagikardie, hoewel die verskil nie beduidend tussen die twee groepe was nie. Die baba uitkoms toon 'n toename in gemiddelde geboortegewig van 194g vir die gevalgroep wat met moederlike tagikardie gediagnoseer is.
Verskeie aanbevelings is geïdentifiseer wat in die studie se bevindinge gegrond is. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat die huidige voorgeboortelike sorgpraktyk in terme van nie rekordering van die moederlike hartspoed voldoende is.
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