Timing of delivery for placenta accreta spectrum: the Pan-American Society for the Placenta Accreta Spectrum experience

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommends cesarean delivery with potential hysterectomy scheduled in the late preterm period between 34 0/7 and 35 6/7 weeks of gestation for prenatally suspected placenta accreta spectrum. We aimed to investigate clinical compliance with the recommended delivery timing window for placenta accreta spectrum and its impact on maternal and neonatal outcomes. We performed a retrospective multicenter review of data from referral centers within the Pan-American Society for Placenta Accreta Spectrum. Patients with placenta accreta spectrum with both antenatal diagnosis and confirmed histopathologic findings were included. We investigated adherence to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine-recommended gestational age window for delivery, and compliance was further stratified by scheduled and unscheduled delivery. We compared the outcomes for patients with scheduled delivery within vs immediately 2 weeks outside the recommended window. Among 744 patients with a prenatal diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum and placental histopathologic confirmation, 488 (66%) had scheduled delivery. Among all prenatally diagnosed placenta accreta spectrum patients, 252 (39%) delivered within the recommended window of 34 0/7 and 35 6/7 weeks gestation. For the subgroup of patients who underwent scheduled delivery (n=426), 209 (49%) had delivery in this window, 120 (28%) delivered before 34 weeks, and 97 (23%) delivered at or later than 36 weeks. In the patients with scheduled delivery, 27% of placenta accreta spectrum patients with accreta delivered in the 2 weeks immediately after the recommended window (36 0/7–37 6/7 weeks), and 22% of placenta accreta spectrum pregnancies with increta/percreta delivered in the 2 weeks immediately before the recommended delivery (32 0/7–33 6/7 weeks). The maternal outcomes among those who delivered within the recommended range vs those delivering 2 weeks before and after the recommended range were similar, regardless of placenta accreta spectrum severity. Less than half of placenta accreta spectrum patients had scheduled delivery within the recommended gestational age of 34 0/7 to 35 6/7 weeks. The reasons for deviation from recommendations and the risks and benefits of individualized timing of delivery on the basis of risk factors and predicted outcomes warrant further investigation.