Enabling the effective diagnosis of pre-eclampsia
Enabling the effective diagnosis of pre-eclampsia
Pre-eclampsia is a condition that can affect pregnant women , usually during the second half of pregnancy ( from 20 weeks ) or soon after their baby is delivered . It causes high blood pressure and protein in the urine and , if not diagnosed and closely monitored , it can lead to potentially life-threatening complications . We have been working with all 13 maternity services in our region to ensure that their business cases have been agreed to implement Placental Growth Factor ( PLGF ) based testing , a blood test that helps to diagnose pre-eclampsia .
Adopting this test across Yorkshire and the Humber means that no matter where women live in our region , or where they decide to have their babies , their nearest or chosen hospital will be better able to diagnose pre-eclampsia . The test eliminates the risk of poor prediction of the condition and reduces the risk of unnecessary hospitalisation for women who will not go on to develop it . We are also working with clinicians at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to evaluate the service to measure its financial , clinical and emotional impact . This will enable trusts to ensure that the adoption of the test becomes standard practice .
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