CONTRIBUTION OF CONSULTANTS TO CARE OF COMPROMISED PREGNANCIES

Obstetricians often seek consultative services of other specialists in the management of compromised pregnancies, However, the extent of suc h consultations and the contribution of these consultants have not bee n addressed in the literature. This study is addresses the contributio n of consultants to the care of complicated pregnancies at a tertiary care center, During the 2 1/2 years of this retrospective study, 2263 antepartum admissions were made for pregnancy complications, One hundr ed sixty-six of those patients were hospitalized 176 times and were tr eated by one or more consulting physicians for a consultation rate of 7.8%, Eighteen specialties were consulted, including 54 (32%) consulta tions from maternal fetal medicine, 44 (24%) from internal medicine, 2 8 (16%) from general surgery, and 22 (12%) from endocrinology, Of the initial admission diagnoses, 87.9% were confirmed and 46 new diagnoses were made by the consultants, A significant positive correlation was noted between the number of consultants, maternal length of hospital s tay, and maternal hospitalization cost.